Nursing necessities!

I'm month four into my second term as a nursing mother. I'm proud to say that I did it for twelve full months with my first son and hope for a repeat performance with number two. Nursing for any number of months is a huge accomplishment, but I'm especially proud that I did it, and am doing it again as a full-time working momma. So, as I'm sitting here in my company's "Mother's Room" pumping away, I thought it very fitting to put together a little list of my nursing must-haves. Some of these things I figured out myself and others were from some of my mentor moms, working hard and doing what I do. So, here you go.

1. A great breast pump. I've always used Medela. First, the Freestyle and now the Pump in Style Advanced. Having a good breast pump is crucial to maintaining your supply when you're away from your baby for 8+ hours per day. Another plus - is that I was able to grab mine for free through insurance.
2. The Easy Expression Bustier from Medela. Just trust me, be hands-free if you can. Especially at work. 
3. Breast milk storage bags. When all of your pumping pays off, you'll need somewhere to store that liquid gold. I love Lanisoh - the bags are large and durable, giving you room for pouring without the risk of overflow.
4. Freezer milk storage. Last time, I kept frozen milk in the freezer, on the door. This time, I found a solution from Milkies, which is a compact way to organize and store frozen breast milk.
5. Fenugreek. Something that I ended up figuring out on my own, with help from Google, that my milk supply would drop a bit, leading up to the start of my monthly cycle. Before I knew what was happening, it made me panic. Once I realized it, I started to load up on Fenugreek, to maintain things until it passed.
6. Mother's Milk Tea to promote lactation. This is something that I just started drinking this time around. If I feel like my supply is lower, I have a couple of cups of this tea during the day and it seems to do the trick.
7. Coverd Goods nursing cover. Again - there are many different types of covers, I have three that I really like and tend to rotate though. Each one is great, but so far, my favorite has been my Covered Goods nursing cover. It literally wraps around me so that my belly and back aren't sticking out. This design also reduces the risk of flashing, if baby wants to have a party under there.

I hope that this list is helpful for you or for a mom-to-be. Even though this isn't my first rodeo, I'm still learning and finding things to make this part of the journey easier for me and for my tiny human.

"Its a 6, daddy"

Last night, I got home a little later than usual because I had some after work errands to run. When I pulled into the driveway, I saw that Daddy and B had been pretty busy. There were lots of chalk doodles on the driveway (my favorite) and the safety cones that I *ahem* acquired during college were out. I came in, unloaded and we went about our business...until Nick told me that our little 3 year old drew his first number.

Voila! The number 6! 

See that squiggle next to the number 3? Apparently B told his daddy that it wasn't "a circle, it was a 6!" And he was right! He also drew a nice and long #1, next to his 6. I was so proud of him, even though I was slightly bummed that I missed it. Its hard for me to wrap my brain around how busy B's little brain must be, but it is so, so cool to watch him start to connect the dots, right before my eyes.

B's Horse Party

In the last year or so, B's obsession with horses has reached a fever pitch. There isn't a pony ride or merry-go-round ride that ends in anything but tears and frustration. He is downright obsessed. This past summer, at Kenywood, we rode the merry-go-ground approximately 25 times throughout the day. He plays merry-go-round, rides "Daddy horse" and pretends I'm the ticket lady who gives him access to all of these rides.

So, when it came time to plan B's 3rd birthday party, it was a no-brainer. We were having a horse party. We looked around Columbus for venues to host the big event, but came up short. Many places required an age limit...problematic when the majority of the guests are 3 and under while other places were out of our price range. So, we opted for a drive out to the country to Marmon Valley Farm.

For those who haven't been there, this place is a hidden gem. They have pony and horse rides, a hayride, barn with small animals, playground, pond and plenty of room to run. In other words, this is a little kid's paradise. As a party venue, it was perfect since the cost was relatively low and we were able to bring our own food and drinks to set up in the covered picnic pavilion. The kids ran themselves silly all day long, stopping periodically for food and drinks.

As someone who loves to plan parties...specifically theme parties, I had a good time with this one. Since the farm was the perfect fall setting, I didn't need to do much decorating. Instead, I had fun with the invitations, food and the treat bags.

Invitation found on Etsy

Farm Cake, courtesy of my mother-in-law

I had a lot of fun with the treat bags. I tried my best to make sure they kept to the "Horse/Farm" theme and didn't skew too much to cowboy. Here's how they turned out:

Goodies from Oriental Trading

• Lollipops 
• Bouncy Balls
• Stickers
• Assorted mini chocolate candies

B was super happy with his party, he literally ran from 11:30am until 5:30pm, when he asked...in his sweetest voice, "Can we go home now?" 

The day was perfect, the leaves were colorful and the kids were tired. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Well, except maybe dinosaurs.

My tiny human...being human

Dear B.,

You are almost three years old. Time really does fly when you're having fun, or when you're raising YOU. You are the spunkiest, smartest, craziest nut bag of a son. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but whatever it is, I'm grateful for it every single day.

As we approach the big 3, I'm seeing more and more of your HUMAN personality come out. You are so kind and thoughtful and analytical. Even when you are running laps around the backyard or screaming through the house. You like to have things put in categories, often saying things like, "mommy, you're a girl right?" or "daddy is taller than you, right?" You know a lot of things, but still look to us as the experts in whatever subject you are thinking about at the moment.

One of the biggest changes that I'm seeing in you is your ability to reason. Time-outs are starting to work and you are realizing that we really will, in fact, make you sit in a chair or that we'll take away your toy. You know that there are consequences to your actions and you are starting to make decisions accordingly. This new level of reason is adding an infinite amount of fun to our lives (and admittedly, frustration).

Last Saturday, you and I had a special date. We went to the Worthington Farmer's market to buy coffee and then to Kroger to get a few things for breakfast. You were an absolute angel. So, when Sunday morning rolled around and you asked to go to the grocery store with me, do do our regular shopping, I said yes. I'll admit it, I was so nervous. What if you went nuts? What if I was the crazy lady, pushing a cart, chasing you around the store? But then I thought, what if it went well? And decided to take the plunge.

Thanks to a really busy year, and being pregnant, I hadn't done a lot of things with just you and I. You were prone to taking off at full speed, or having a sporadic tantrum and my pregnant body didn't always handle that well. So, our outings by ourselves, just you and I, were very few and far between. Maybe that is what made me nervous, I was out of practice for long outings in a possibly "risky" situation. But, I have to say - I'm so glad that I decided to take you with me. You listened, you were quiet and you "helped" me put things in the cart. We had no meltdowns and talked a lot about ingredients and the store and the giant, metal horse that you like to visit while we're there. It was actually really fun. And really, momma is back - so if you needed to be wrestled, chased or man handled into the cart, I'm 100% back to my pre-baby self.

I hope that our grocery dates are a regular thing. It is so great to have you all to myself and to chat about what is going on in your busy little brain. I love getting to reward you for good behavior with your Kroger balloon and really am proud when you walk up and ask for it yourself, thanking the lady without me asking you to. You are still my sweet baby, but more and more, I'm seeing glimpses of the boy and man that you are going to become and I'm so very proud of you. I'm not going to lie though, I'm pretty proud of daddy and I too. We're doing this our way and doing a really awesome job. Even when sometimes it doesn't feel like it.

Love,
Momma