Daniel is 18 months old now. Hard to believe my baby is a year and a half old already. We had his checkup a few weeks ago and he's growing, weighing in at 22.4lb and measuring 32in tall. He's holding steady around the 40th percentile for height and inched up from 5th to 8th weight percentile. The pediatrician was pleased with his growth and developmental progress, so everything is looking good. That height, incidentally, makes him just tall enough to reach things on the counter and the table. Which I learned the hard way by leaving a nearly full Dr. Pepper on the edge of the table. Messy lesson learned.
Since my last update on him we've reached one bittersweet milestone. Sometime in late December/early January Daniel nursed for the last time. He had dropped to just the night feeding awhile back and had gotten to where he seemed like he could take it or leave it, so I stopped offering and he didn't ask for it. I'll miss that special bond with him, but we were both ready to stop. I would have been willing to go longer had he wanted to, but I'm proud that we made it 17 months.
Otherwise no real news to report on the sleep or food fronts. He's still a good eater and a pretty reliable sleeper at night and most days at naptime.
As far as development goes, he's working at walking up and down the stairs. He needs a hand or railing to hold but is getting pretty good at it. And as we discovered when we put Christmas decorations up in the attic, he can also climb a ladder!
Bathtime continues to be a favorite time of day. Daniel likes to try to pull the faucets on and off and gets very upset when I tell him no. He also enjoys sticking his face into the running cold water or drinking from it.
Last week our friend Nicole and our 22 month old godson came over for playtime and dinner. We've always hoped the boys will grow up to be friends and it was really fun to watch them play together. Nicole and I prepared dinner in the kitchen, uninterrupted, for 20 minutes while the boys happily chased each other around. Then, while we were eating, Nicole mentioned how Alejandro doesn't like his bath, so we thought bath with his buddy might make it more fun. We set the boys in the tub and sure enough, they had a great time. And, as captured on video, Alejandro decided to be helpful.
Thus far the dreaded terrible twos haven't shown themselves. Daniel does cry when he doesn't get his way, but can generally be calmed pretty quickly. He can get pretty fixated on what he wants though and isn't easily distracted. Case in point: lately his favorite thing to do is play in the front seat of the (parked) car. He likes to sit behind the wheel and can turn the hazards on and off. He loves doing this and doesn't seem to tire of it. This is cute. It also means that every time we're going or arriving somewhere he runs to the driver side door and looks at me expectantly, then cries if he can't play or, if he can, when he has to get out. It's made for some frustration for both of us, but not too bad really. We'll see what the next months bring, but thus far he's still a pretty easy kid.
And that pretty much wraps up what's new with Daniel these days. I feel like every month I could say this, but this really is my favorite stage so far. He's more interactive than ever, and now at night when I take him to his crib he puts his head on my shoulder and gives me a big hug. What a sweet reward to get every night!
As for the math part, well, you got me there. I'm no math whiz and you'll never catch me saying otherwise. But that was true well before motherhood came on the scene. And given that lawyers aren't known for our math skills, I guess I have good company ;)
As for competence, first of all, why would choosing to nurse mark me as less capable than if I had chosen to feed formula? For the record, I don't judge the formula feeders; formula is a viable option for women who can't nurse, and the most important ingredient for a child's health is love. Nursing moms don't have the monopoly on that.
But, anyone who wants to talk about nursing moms being incompetent, walk a day, a week, or 8 months in my shoes and get back to me. You'll be waking up by 5 every weekday, nursing twice a day, pumping four times a day, and putting in a full day's work. Sound tough? It is. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My baby's worth all that and more.
More importantly though, it's sad to think that people really view nursing moms so negatively, because I've never felt more competent than I do now as a mom. I've accomplished a lot of things in my 32 years that I'm proud of, but knowing that I can grow, protect, and deliver a life into the world and then nurture him with the most perfect food nature can provide is the most satisfying, empowering accomplishment of all. There's no greater feeling that knowing I can satisfy his needs so completely, and I already know I'll miss it once that stage of life is past.
I'm glad to see several high-profile celebrities lately make a point of proudly saying that they breastfeed. These women can outsource nearly every detail of their lives, and they still choose to reserve this most important task for themselves. And for all their money and fame, they have no advantage over the rest of us there, no shortcuts. I think their example says a lot.
I believe that in order to reverse this unfortunate stereotype we nursing moms need to encourage and support other moms who choose to do this. Not look down at those who don't, but help lift up those who do. A few weeks ago a lady in my office saw me walking with my pump bag. I don't recall that we had ever spoken before, but she stopped to tell me how much she admired that I was still nursing even after returning to work. It was just a moment's conversation but it made my day.
Now whenever I walk through the building with my bag, I like to think that I'm silently serving as an example that you can be a mom and a capable worker. Maybe seeing that I can make it work will encourage the next new mom to try it too. Or at least not to view those of us who do as incompetent.
