First Mother's Day

Enjoying our first Mother's Day at the Silver Fork, Big Cottonwood Canyon.


Grandma Linda and Michelle show off their color coordination!

We also enjoyed a pre-Mother's Day visit from Grandma Donna!

Grandmas are the best!

We went on a wonderful hike yesterday up Mill Creek Canyon. I was keenly reminded of every reason why I moved back here on this hike. Auntie Cory has quickly become one of Michelle's favorite people and clearly you can see why! Auntie Cory is where all the fun is! We had dinner that night at Cory and Billy's where Michelle quickly found her favorite toy, the dog water bowl. Of course, Cory and Billy have the kind that does not tip over, making this indoor splashing puddle particularly wonderful. She then preceded to mop the floor with her sopping wet pants and really didn't seem to care at all. Auntie Cory then gave her a bath which wrapped up a perfect day. And to top it all off, we all slept better last night than we have in weeks!




























Io remarks "Are you sure you want to let her go down this road? I've seen it and it is NOT pretty!"

Hiking. And NO. I am NOT going to wean my baby any time soon!!!

Michelle is the poster child for her Bum Genius 3.0 cloth diapers!

We finally got out for a little hike on Saturday to Red Butte. A nice hike up to "the living room", a trail head 15 minutes away from my Dad's house. Ahhh yes. THIS is what we were missing!


















I have worked two 12-hour shifts now. They went great for me, but after Sunday, Michelle totally decompensated that night. I took her to bed with me and she literally was stuck to my boobs all night long! When I would pull away to lie on my back and sleep, she would crawl up on me, pound on my chest and scream. Yes. POUND ON MY CHEST AND SCREAM!!! NOT an exaggeration. NO ONE slept that night. Apparently she suffered a head bonk just before bed on Sunday and with mommy gone all day, that was the final straw. After we got back to the "mommy and me" show on Monday, sleep got back to "normal" again, but since she nursed all night long on Sunday, that signaled my body to produce more milk and by yesterday morning, I was suffering from engorgement and clogged ducts. After a warm shower last night, Ibuprofen and Michelle GENTLY nursing on the affected side last night, we seem to be in the clear this morning.

So many are asking "Why not just wean her now? you are going back to work long days, and she is doing great with solids." Simply this. We are not ready. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least a year and I am committed to that. The World Health Organization recommends until 2 years old! Parenting is not easy. I never thought it would be. My breastfeeding challenges are just that: parenting challenges. Like teaching your kid to play nice, go to bed, share, not throw food, sometimes as parents we just have to suck it up and deal with the challenge and follow through. I work 3 days a week. That gives Michelle 4 days a week to breastfeed direct from the source. We mutually enjoy this time together and neither one of us is ready to give it up. Plus, my work is very accommodating of my needs to pump during the day. There is absolutely no reason to give it up right now. Period.