Slightly Crunchy Mom: June 2011

Ughhhh so we belong to a resort group that affords us REALLY cheap rental rates for cabins at the resort. We have access to all the mandatory stuff of camping such as fishing, hiking, ect. But the membership allows us the luxury of not sleeping in a tent on the ground in the dirt with bugs. This last part is vital to me. No matter how "crunchy" or "natural" I become, bug and other critters are two things I will never come to terms with. I try to leave things as nature intended as much as possible but when it comes to bugs my motto is "They stepped leg in my house so I have every right to smash them dead!"

So the last time we came camping we rented a really nice 2 bedroom cabin with a full living room, bathroom, and kitchen. It was spectacular! The best part? We were there for a WHOLE WEEK and saw only a couple insects inside (I think they were brought in by the dog to be honest). So this time we got a much smaller cabin (boo) it was still a 2 bedroom (If you call a closet that is filled with stacked full sized beds a room), it just was very tiny. So, not only was the cabin much smaller than expected, but it came filled with bugs! Flying bugs, crawling bugs... ewwww bugs! Seriously, I laid down on the main bed with little man to feed him and in the 20 minutes I was there I killed at least 20 ants that had crawled onto my body.

I do not like bugs at all! I do not want to stay in this cabin anymore!

aka nursing past 1 year...

Well today Little man turns 14 months as I sit here and type this blog I have to keep adjusting my position to accommodate the little man who keeps climbing into my lap for a quick ninny (nursing snack).

Oh the horrors of it!

It gets even better than that! Not only is he still nursing at 14 months old, but he is still nursing for a majority of his nutrition. He doesn't eat solids very well (he likes boiled chicken, and pureed fruits/veggies mixed with yogurt). So I allow him free access to the breast, which he takes advantage of at least 6 times during the day and at least 3 times over night. He nurses 9-12 times per 24 hour period. While he nurses as often as a newborn at least he can finish the job in 5-6 minutes.

Extended breastfeeding is not as weird or difficult as I once thought. Nursing him is actually easier than making him eat foods. Yes, once again I have confirmed (at least to myself) that breastfeeding is another way I can get away with being a "lazy" parent without negative consequences for my kids. I mean with 4 kids, going to school full time and running a household you gotta find ways to cut corners, right? Right? Right!

Breastfeeding also has other great perks too! Like being an INSTANT mute button! LMAO at that one! There have been several times (like when we took the kids to see HOP) when Little man would be getting fussy and as soon as I whip out the boob and latch him on its instant quiet. Or the time when he decided that head-butting the coffee table would be a good idea (it wasn't), he screamed bloody murder until the boobie was offered and magically all was right in his world again.

Nothing beats the warmth of your "big boy" crawling into your lap and suddenly melting into your "baby boy" again.

So even though he often pinches, scratches, bites and the wild and crazy toddler nursing acrobatics, I can honestly say that I love nursing my toddler!
Without further ado, I am going to share some of my favorite nursing photos. You have been fair warned that some of these pics may GASP show a little skin!