Isaac: 5 months

My little man is 5 months old. Let me just start out by saying.. this is my absolute favorite age so far. And I know it's only going keep getting more exciting as my boy grows.

He has changed so much over the past month. His little personality has been shining and I can't get enough of it. He is such a little ham, constantly giggling out of control. Isaac knows just how funny he is and has recently started trying to make Matt and I laugh, while he's acting crazy he will pause with a big smile to look at us until we laugh for him and then he will start back up!

He is also so ticklish and it's an easy way to get his sweet little laugh going.

One night he was cracking up so hard Matt actually got a little concerned and told me to stop making him laugh for a minute hah! I feel like I am so blessed to have such a happy little boy. I can hardly even handle the thoughts of how amazing he will be as a toddler.

What my little man has been interested in lately (other than laughing and cracking jokes):

• He loves those little feet of his. Each time we lay him on the changing table he pulls them up to his mouth, it makes diaper changes easier with him cooperating ;)
• He has been rolling onto his belly a lot, and I found him on his belly after a nap one day so now I'm always having to peek in and check on him more than usual during his nap times. He actually enjoys tummy time now!
• It's become impossible to give this boy a bath without getting soaked. Bath time has always been his favorite, but now he goes completely wild kicking and throwing his arms around to create as much splashing as he can.
• He has been interested in sitting up lately and is doing pretty awesome at it. He keeps himself in a sitting position but then eventually topples over once he gets too excited. He loves the outdoors so we sit in the backyard for a bit each day. We are usually lounged back in the chair a little but he always pulls himself up into a sitting position and stays that way on his own the entire time, in my lap of course. 
• He tries to grab everything.. and by everything, I mean EVERYTHING the kid sees. His favorite by far is the dogs, specifically Lola. She is always hanging out by Isaac lately and he loves his lolo. Every chance he gets, he will grab a chunk of her fur. It can't bother her too much because she always goes back to love on him.
• We are still exclusively breastfeeding. No solids for this boy just yet, maybe next month? We shall see.

While my little man is the sweetest angel, he did throw his first fit the other day when we took a bag of hamburger buns from him that he was destroying. I don't know if we should consider that one of his new interests, but it was cute and pretty funny.

I caught the very end of one of his giggle fits on my phone the other day, this is the laugh that melts my heart every single day.

Happy 5 months, my sweet boy!

Used Books

I'm a little obsessed with kiddo books. 

I love reading reading to my little man, and the day he is a toddler picking out his own book for us to read together.. oh, I'll die. 

Isaac has a few new books that were gifts, and a few new ones that I have picked up for him. The majority of his stash are used books, from goodwill mostly. Instead of paying $20 for each book we want to add to his little collection, I'm able to pick up a nice little stash each time we are out and pit stop by goodwill. I find some of my childhood favorites too. All of the books that I buy are in good condition, but some of them appear to be brand new. They are usually priced between 49cents-99cents a piece. 

Could it get any better?

He will have his own big library by the time he is interested in reading on his own!

World Breastfeeding Week 2011

A little post in honor of World Breastfeeding Week.

I wrote this post about our breastfeeding experience when Isaac was 6 weeks old and never really updated on the subject much, other than a mention that we were still nursing at 3 months.

Those early weeks are still seared into my mind. I'm sure they will never leave me, and I wouldn't want them to. Breastfeeding is absolutely the toughest thing I have ever endured. The physical pain that went on for so long combined with the heartache I faced day after day far outweighs the pain of laboring for 17 hours and bringing my boy into the world without drugs. Enduring breastfeeding taught me that I really can face anything this life decides to bring my way. So many moms choose not to breastfeed, and I really do get it. It's tough business! To some people it comes naturally as it should, but to most, breastfeeding is an art that has to be learned.

I've been nursing my little love for five months now and I'm happy with where we are. I don't really have my eyes set on a goal of how far we want to get any longer, I'm just so thankful that we have made it here. With my pregnant friends and family members, I've learned lately that it's more important to encourage just getting through those oh so threatening early weeks, and then nursing as long as you are able to.

So my little man still has lip tie, we don't have any plans to have it clipped. Possibly when he's older if it needs to be, but not any time soon. Yes, if we had it done now it would most likely make breastfeeding much more comfortable for me, but I've sort of just become accustomed to the discomfort it sometimes brings. It's not unbearable, and as he grows I'm thinking it will continue to be less and less of a problem. 

I'm not a completely crazy breastfeeding advocate, maybe I should be? But I'm not. Most likely because I know what our experience was like and how challenging it can be. So I really just want to give a little encouragement, my goal isn't to make any mom who makes different choices feel ashamed of those choices. Just know that it truly does get easier. It does.

I remember thinking every single day that I couldn't possibly get through another feeding because of the pain I was in, but somehow one feeding at a time passed us by. I remember the day it finally came down to choosing between formula or trying to pump for the next feeding, and crying uncontrollably when I accidentally spilt the .5 ounces I had spent an hour pumping.

While I was pregnant I had such high expectations for the bond that breastfeeding would bring us, along with the great health benefits for the both of us. So even though it took enduring brutally exhausting pain, breastfeeding remained the only option I was ever really willing to accept for my boy. I would say that it's better not to place those expectations on yourself, but for myself I'm thankful because if I hadn't I know that we wouldn't still be nursing today. 

Breastfeeding my little boy is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I love being the source that soothes his hungry belly. I love knowing that I'm giving him the best nutrition available to him. I love having this bond that's just between him and I, because I know he will be grown and Independent far too soon. If you are pregnant and hoping to breastfeed, prepare yourself in every way that you can before the birth. I didn't do this! I just assumed that it would be as natural as my body giving birth on it's own, but that isn't always the case!  

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!