We made it to 14 months of breastfeeding! Shortly after Adam turned a year old, I weaned him down to nursing twice a day. National laws allow for a nursing mom to take needed breaks throughout the day for nursing or pumping while at work. That protected time only lasts until a child is one year old. It's wonderful that needed time for pumping and nursing is able to supply a child with breastmilk for an entire year. And slightly sad because the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding through the first year of life and beyond if both mutually beneficial to child and mother.
But I digress. Adam was successfully weaned to nursing twice a day shortly after turning one, right when I lost the protected time at work. Nursing only twice a day was not stressful and very easy. Eventually Adam stopped nursing in the morning. And then he stopped nursing all together when we were in DC. I really thought that I would be sad and tearful when Adam refused to nurse. Sure, I was a little bit upset, I felt like my little baby boy was growing up. But it also made me really happy. He is eating really well and drinks whole milk like a champ! He is really thriving and doesn't need Momma as much. It's bittersweet but I didn't even shed a tear.
In other news, we all went down to DC so I could attend a medical conference. I enjoyed the conference and Adam and Jeff enjoyed the National Zoo and Natural History Museum. And then Adam and Jeff left for vacation in SC with Grammy Sue and Graunt Judy. Jeez, it was really hard for Mom to say goodbye to her favorite boys! Adam and Jeff were away in SC for 4 nights, the longest by far that I have been away from Adam. I missed Adam like crazy but just kept picturing how much fun Adam was having with everyone in SC.
Adam has learned to walk! He started walking by himself a few weeks ago but rarely wanted to let go. But one day Adam didn't want to take our hand anymore. He's now walking everywhere (with a few crawls here and there) and can walk about 50-100 steps without falling. He walks with his hands outstretched for balance, he looks like a zombie!
Adam is sleeping better! Around 12 months, we found that Adam wasn't sleeping as well when I woke him up at 5:30am to nurse him. So we dropped that session. And we dropped the nursing session before I went to bed. Adam was quickly able to sleep 7:30pm to 6ish am. And then that turned into 6:30am. And now he usually sleeps 7:30p until 7am. Sometimes Adam even sleeps until 8:30am without waking up during the night! WOW! Adam's sleeping has really come a long way! Mom and Dad feel soooooooo much more rested too! Let's hope I didn't jinx his sleeping tonight!
That's all our news for now!
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Dwarfed by the Giraffe at the National Museum of Natural History
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Admiring the Seals at the National Zoo
Swimming in Kiawah
