Maple Creek River Day

 

"Going to the river" was one thing I hoped we'd get a chance to do with the boys this summer and which I've been talking about in recent weeks, as we have been blessed with lots of sunny, dry weather. While we have explored some rivers in Humboldt, not being true "locals," we aren't aware of *all* of the best swimming holes that are in warmer areas of the county (as our coastal California town is definitely on the cooler side). We been trying to balance the desperate need to get fresh air and get the kids out of the house on weekends with safely avoiding anything resembling a crowd (which is hard when all coastal people, trapped in a pandemic, seek sunshine and warmth but thankfully we have a ton of natural open spaces up here!). This part of northern California has many small (and six major) rivers to enjoy, but you have be willing to do a bit of driving which is hard with young kids (one of whom gets carsick and the other who is not super reliable with telling us when he has to do his business!).

In any case, one day last week when I was walking Pepper, our next-door neighbor, Maria, said, "Sometime, you guys should come out to our property in Maple Creek and swim at the river. It's super warm and the boys would love it!"  Neither Kelvin or I really ever want to "impose" or bother anybody, and we weren't quite sure what "using their property" meant, especially during COVID times, but Maria enthusiastically invited us out to her place and, as they were going to be spending the weekend there, told us that she could wave us down to the river spot and not even come within ten feet of them.

We took her up on it, an on Saturday morning, we headed up the ~1 hour drive east of Arcata through Kneeland through lovely forest and hills (spotting many deer and other wildlife along the way) to the tiny community of Maple Creek (her property sits opposite what really looks like a one-room-barn schoolhouse, Maple Creek School).  We'd never been anywhere near this area in nearly nine years in Humboldt, but have been missing out, as it really was beautiful (the road was really curvy, though!). The houses (and other traffic) were few and far between, and after losing cell and GPS service but with directions in hand, we were lucky to spot her marked driveway, which led to a lovely private section of river (a branch of the Mad River).  She waved us past her house down the path to direct river access, which even included sandy beach!  Even at 9:30 a.m., it was warm (for us in Humboldt-- 70+ degrees!) and we didn't see another soul. 

The kids had a snack of fruit

The kids spotted grasshoppers and enlisted Kelvin to try to "catch one" (they were unsuccessful).

We borrowed a parked kayak, which allowed us to visit a rock island, next to which was some shallower (and much warmer) water in which the kids could splash around.

(We called this Kelvin's kayak shuttle service-- the kids, Pep, and I were able to stay dry as he pushed/paddled us across! The water, while not deep, actually was still too cold for my liking!).

Princess Pepper

The kids did some rock-jumping. 

Niall wasn't so keen!

Lunchtime lounging

We headed back to the coast trying to get home in time for Niall's ~1 p.m. nap (even though both kids-- Iver, perhaps under the influence of pre-treatment with Dramamine, and Niall, wiped out from running around in the hot sun, fell asleep en route).

It was a lovely, warm, secluded getaway in a truly special spot, and we couldn't thank our neighbors enough for letting us enjoy a few hours at their own private riverside beach! 

Milk by the numbers: the end of my breastfeeding journey

This week, I will give my last child the last drop of breastmilk I have left. It's been quite a journey (actively breastfeeding for a full four out of the last just-over-five years).

Breastfeeding isn't a walk in the park. Many other moms have documented the struggle that is breastfeeding an infant and/or toddler, in terms of anxiety about "making" or having enough, time (sitting still for nursing sessions, but mainly the dreaded pumping and washing of pump parts!), emotional and physical energy, and being on a few-hour schedule without freedom to "get away" for days/months/years.  Despite having a few rounds of lactational mastitis, I was lucky to have never struggled with milk supply, always having a comfortable freezer stash, although I was admittedly pretty militant about pumping when working or on call and constantly obsessing about milk (I have a theory that there is a whole part of moms' brains that is the "milk storage memory" that gets freed up when we stop breastfeeding altogether and allows us to become far more productive mentally). I never intended to be an "extended breastfeeding" mom, and would have been fine had my children self-weaned prior to age two (which is the WHO recommendation for optimal duration of breastfeeding but longer than AAP suggests), but, as it turns out, you cannot control your progeny-- both of my children have been extremely attached to breastfeeding/breastmilk!

The last Lansinoh bag of milk

(to be thawed tonight to be mixed with cow's milk for Niall's school cup for Wednesday)

 

I breastfed Iver until he was about two years and four days (around Christmas Day 2016), when, as he hadn't decided to stop himself, I decided it was time to cut him off (Kelvin and I went away to stay at a hotel in Ferndale overnight). Weaning him (a very strong-willed person!) didn't go super well (there was lots of whining and crying from what I recall), but I was so ready to be done and to move on!

Niall breastfed last about two weeks ago on the morning of February 17th, which was the morning of our flight and 10-day trip away to South America and two days after he turned two.  He had been down to basically two nursing sessions (morning and night, and sometimes before a weekend nap) for several months, and I hadn't pumped in about three months (when I was out of town at a breech conference in Wisconsin), which made me not even mind direct nursing as the pressure for production was pretty much off (and he's a good eater of solids and a good drinker of cow's milk).  Niall took the absence of milk (and us) very well from what K's parents told us, not even asking for "tutti," his name for nursing, which in Vietnamese translates to something like "sucking."  (He's asked for it a couple of times since being back home in NorCal but is pretty distractable and I haven't given in).

I did a small amount of hand expression early on during our vacation to prevent uncomfortable engorgement; however, I really had very little flowing at that point so it wasn't much of an issue despite stopping breastfeeding somewhat abruptly by leaving the continent, and I'm pretty much all dried up!

Weaning or ending the breastfeeding journey can be bittersweet (as I don't plan to have any more kids nor nurse any more babies, these really were my last drops of milk!), but I feel that it is mostly sweet. The relationship of kids with their Dad seems to blossom now that I have no nutritional advantage (the cooking skills part is arguable, though!), and parenting responsibilities seem to balance out a bit more (in my experience), which is a blessing in terms of time and energy for me (as is the gain in mental space as I mentioned above). I'm most excited to never have to wash another pump part or hook myself up and listen to that annoying electric pump motor, although I'm not quite sure what to do with all my pumping supplies (including pumps themselves [I have three electric ones, which apparently are not entirely recyclable, intended for a single user, as well a hand pump], parts, etc.). I have donated some things (bras, tanks, reusable milk pads, unused storage bags, bottles) to friends and acquaintances, and I hate to "waste" anything, but in some ways, I'd like to secretly have a "trash the pump" party (with a spectacular flaming bonfire)!

I realize that I don't have a lot of older-infant or toddler nursing photos to show for my hard work and hours, but I have many (overwhelmingly positive) memories, and I did splurge on (bought myself) a piece of breastmilk jewelry, a delicate halo ring (from the company Milk Mama Creations) with a stone made from my own milk and flecked with silver, which I have been wearing in celebration of my journey.

 

I'm so thankful to have been able to provide, without excessive struggle, healthy nutrition and to have had incredible bonding experiences with both of my children as they started their young lives. I have learned so much about patience, touch, sacrifice, and love, and have a lot of experience and empathy for my patients and their families on similar journeys.

  

Here's looking forward to the rest of my (non-nursing) life!
 

Celebrating Niall's 18 months (and Pepper's nine years).

Our fur-/first child, Pepper, turned nine this week.  She was thrilled to have us back from our trip down south and has been relishing the snuggles.

Her dog food company, Chewy, sent her a card, and Iver proudly made her some birthday cards.

 

Niall also turned 18 months.

He:

- Probably weighs close to 19 lbs (he will be weighed at a well child check in a couple of weeks), and I'd imagine still in the single digit percentiles.  He still fits into 9 and  9-12 month clothing (!), and size 3-4 shoes.

- has big eyes, long eyelashes, a big head, dimples and a great smile, scant but growing hair, and fourteen teeth (the top two canines just came in as noted by the dentist this week).

- drinks somewhere between 4-8 oz of a blend (still about 70/30) of expressed breast milk/cow's milk from a cup at daycare. I nurse in the morning and before bed/naps and pump once during the workday around lunchtime (or if stuck at the hospital at a usual nursing time),  but this volume is minimal 2-3 oz so it's likely going away soon.  He eats at a high chair in the kitchen, and I his appetite is definitely increasing.  He loves fruits of all kinds, cucumbers, peas, yogurt, noodles and soups, rice dishes, peanut butter, and cheese.  He's getting better about incorporating some small meat pieces, but is still on an iron supplement. He loves to use his own spoon and/or fork to feed himself. He also loves water and ice cubes (really, anything frozen). 

 - is in cloth diapers during the day (pocket diapers at daycare and fitteds at home), and size 3 overnight Huggies at night. He is pretty regular and will usually poop on the potty in the morning (sometimes in the afternoon/evening after dinner) and will often pee on the potty when diapers are removed for changes (and occasionally dry after naps or overnight).  We're working on him communicating when he has to go.

 - is one of the older kids in the infant room at daycare, where he attends five days (two as three-quarter days). He loves his teachers, but loves to see us when we pick him up. He will likely move up to the toddler room in October.

 - is playful and very mischievous, testing boundaries while smiling and deliberately disobeying commands, even though he seems to understand about 100% of what we ask of him.
- is a chatty and communicative little guy and has a rapidly increasing vocabulary with upwards of 30 words (he still signs some, but verbalizes more and more including two-word phrases). He mimicks almost everything we say and knows his body parts, many animals (and animal sounds), foods "mango," "wah-wah" (watermelon), "apple," "nana," and can point out all of the animals in the Eric Carle, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" book. He's really attentive (when we went back to the dentist's office this week [Kelvin had met us there for the boys' appointment] to return some sunglasses that had come home with us inadvertently, he asked me "where Papa?" [because he'd been there with us before!]).  He'll say "Uh-Oh!" or "Oooohhhh!" if he does something naughty.
- loves running around the house, climbing, and being chased and tickled. He loves to play with markers ("mah-kah!"), water, ice, cups, keys, buckle toys, Pepper, and Iver. He loves going "out-tide" to the deck. He will read book ("more book!") after book if you'd let him. He does well during stroller walks/runs, and rear-facing in his backseat carseat, next to his brother.  He often accompanies Kelvin to the grocery store or to church.

- is tolerating toothbrushing better and better (if you sing/talk to him) and did extremely well at the dentist's for a peek this week with a clean dental bill of health

- continues to be a dream sleeper at night, still in his crib, without signs of escape (and slept incredibly well on our recent trip down south). After a bath, nursing session (which has become shorter), and reading a few books (which he'll choose over nursing), he is put in his crib awake in jammies and a sleep sack, and he'll fuss for a few minutes before passing out around 7:15-7:30. He wakes happy between 5:30- 6 a.m., eager to find me to nurse. He has transitioned to one, longer ~2 our nap around 12 or 1 pm until 2:30 or 3 p.m.

Here's what Iver was doing at 18 months (STILL not sleeping through the night, I noted 😬!).

(Thanks to Katherine for this side-by-side-- Iver up top, Niall below)

We love this little one-and-a-half-year-old (and his nine-year-old big furry sister)!

Tolerant Big Pup Sister

Niall loves our little (soon-to-be-nine) Pepper (as well as all dogs). She tolerates so much from him-- tail- and ear-pulling, and being walked, ridden, or sat-on.

 

She is such a sweet, good girl!

Niall's 16-month update

Niall now:

- Weighs about 18.75 lbs (in the 3% for weight at his 15-month well child check with a 89% head). He's in mostly 9 and  9-12 month clothing, and size 3 shoes 

- has big eyes, long eyelashes, a big head, dimples, scant but growing hair, and ten sharp teeth

- drinks a combination (still about 70/30) of pumped breast milk (I'm still pumping 1-2x during a workday but continuing to wean this) and cow's milk out of a cup at daycare, and nurses a few times per day on demand when I'm home--upon waking, before bed, and before naps. The nursing sessions seem shorter, and I think he may wean himself before age 2, when I had to cut off his big brother.  He eats at a high chair in the kitchen, and his favorite foods include yogurt, fruits (especially blueberries, grapes, and bananas), peas,  noodle soups, peanut butter, cheese sticks, and puff snacks. We've been able to sneak small pieces of meat into purees, but he won't eat chunks of it and still takes an iron supplement which keeps his hemoglobin "hanging in there" at just below 11. He will self-feed with a spoon, and loves to throw food off his tray to our dog, Pepper.  He loves water, ice, and will drink small amounts of cow's milk with meals in a sippy cup.

- is in cloth diapers during the day (pocket diapers at daycare and fitteds at home), and size 3 overnight Huggies at night. He is very regular and, if we can get him there in time, usually poops on the potty first thing in the morning after nursing and sometimes after dinner around 6 p.m., which saves on mess and diaper laundry.

 - is doing great at the infant room at daycare, where he attends five days (two are three-quarter days). He loves his teachers and is always happy at drop-off and pick-up.  He has been healthy this month. He may move up to the "toddler" room in the next few months when big brother will move to the pre-kindergarten room at a different site.

 - loves running around the house, being chased or "found," especially when naked after a bath or diaper change, and climbing. He loves to play with markers, water, ice, cups, Pepper, cabinet contents, kleenex, toilet paper (he gleefully unrolled an entire roll when I was paying attention to Iver last week) and outside on the deck with buckets, rock, and sand. He loves baths and books (his favorite lately is a Dr. Seuss "100 First Words" picture book) and brings books over and will plop down on our laps to read or just go look at pictures himself. He does well in his convertible but still rear-facing carseat, stroller (I usually take him and Pepper for a walk in the morning) and the front-facing Lillebaby carrier.

- hates: lying still for diaper changes, getting his teeth brushed, being sat on by his brother, and having fun toys taken away.

- says about 15-20 words, and is picking up new words and signs by the day. He signs a lot and is very expressive and communicative!  I love hearing him say "Ivah" (Iver), "Aapah!" (apple) and "Nnnaa" (banana) as well as "Nih" (Niall). He is learning body parts and will open wide and stick out his tongue when you ask where his mouth is. When you ask where his nose is, he'll sniff and snort!  He follows commands like "hug your brother" (and defies commands equally well).

  - sleeps well in a crib at night, with no signs of climbing out, sharing a room with his brother. After a bath, nursing session, and reading a few books, he is put in his crib awake and he'll fuss for a few minutes before passing out around 7:15-7:30. He wakes happy between 5:30 and 6 a.m. He has pretty much transitioned to one, longer nap (the second nap and subsequently bedtime was becoming a struggle  and he was waking earlier in the morning), currently starting around 10:30 a.m. (until 12:30 or 1 p.m.).

With his favorite book on the potty

At church with papa

I love this video of him hugging big brother!

We have a smiley, passionate, toddler whose personality is such a joy.

Here is what Iver was doing at 16 months.

Niall's 15-month update

 

Our year-and-a-quarter toddler now:

- probably weighs ~18.5 lbs (we estimate, probably still ~5%) with formal weigh-in at his well child check at the end of the month.  He's in mostly 9 and  9-12 month clothing, and size 3 shoes now that he's walking

- has big eyes, long eyelashes, a big head, dimples, scant hair, and nine teeth (a right upper bicuspid is the latest one to come in)

- drinks a combination (about 70/30) of pumped breast milk (I'm still pumping 1-2x during a workday) and cow's milk at daycare, and nurses a few times per day on demand when I'm home--upon waking, before bed, and before naps, but he's pretty distractable, does "acrobatic nursing," and sessions are shorter (I also think my supply has suffered as a result of my allergy season cocktail, including some claritin-D [decongestant]). He eats at a high chair in the kitchen, and his favorite foods include yogurt, fruits (especially blueberries, grapes, and bananas), peas, carrots, noodles, soups, peanut butter, cheese sticks, and peanut puff snacks, which he demands at the end of his meal by signing "all done [with the main course], but "more." He's still pretty meat-averse except for purees, or finely shredded/hidden meat. He still takes an iron supplement. He's loves to self-feed with a spoon, and delights in throwing food off his high chair tray, leading us to have to put Pepper in "baby jail" so she doesn't scarf up the nibbles (the vet things she has allergies contributing to itchy skin and ears). He'll drink water and cow's milk with meals in a sippy cup.

- is in mostly fitted cloth diapers during the day (with flushable liners) and size 3 overnight Huggies at night. He is very regular and, if we can get him there in time, usually poops on the potty first thing in the morning (we cringe when it's in his diaper) and sometimes after dinner.

 - is doing great at the infant room at daycare, where he attends five days (two are three-quarter days). He loves his teachers, and seems to have little to no stranger anxiety (he's never cried at drop off nor when we've left him with a babysitter). He's had a couple of fevers with runny nose, rash, and loose stools in the last month, but handles illness pretty well.

 - loves stomping around the house, chasing his brother, and being chased or "found," especially when naked after a bath or diaper change.  He loves to play with markers, water, cups, Pepper the dog, tupperware, and anything he can bang. He loves opening and closing cabinets, drawers, and pulling books off tables and shelves and emptying cabinets. He is a great climber, and has a great throwing arm. He loves being tickled and baths. He now says "book" and loves to brings us board books to read to him while he sits on our laps (his favorite one is lift-the-flap Dear Zoo).  He does well in around-town car trips (we just moved him up to a rear-facing but convertible carseat from the infant bucket seat) and stroller rides, as well as in the front-facing Lillebaby carrier. He loves going outside to play on our deck and in our yard.

- hates: wearing socks, lying still for diaper changes, and having unsafe toys taken away from him by us or by his brother.

- is increasing his vocabulary-- he can say  "mama," "meh" (milk), "dog," "duck," "bird," "ball," "no," "yeah," "bah" (brother), "Ivah" (Iver), "more," "book," "water," "apple," "up," and understands many commands.  He signs "dog," "milk," "more," "all done," "water," "where?" and "please."  He points, waves, and claps.

 - sleeps well in a crib at night, sharing a room with his brother. After a bath and a nursing session, he goes to bed in his footie pajamas and sleep sack between 7 and 7:30 p.m. within a few minutes of being put in his crib drowsy.  He sleeps until between 5:30 and 6 a.m., talking, often beating his brother awake but not waking him up (we collect him when we hear him cooing or see him on the nest monitor).  He generally naps twice, once in the morning around 9 a.m. or three hours after waking, and around 2 p.m., although he sometimes fights the second nap and has refused a few times at daycare. We just put him in his crib and walk away, and he rolls around until he falls asleep (this is amazing!). There are no signs of crib-escaping, and we feel blessed to have a great sleeper!

Here is him feeding himself:

Here is him identifying the ball in the picture:

Here's what big brother Iver was doing at 15 months.

Niall is a really sweet, fun guy full of personality, and it's awesome to see him communicating more and more like a "real" person!