Breast milk is more addicting than heroin.

I find it rather amusing that people around me don't realize that I am still nursing V.  Yes, my baby turns 2 in a week...actually 6 days if you are really counting.  And yes, I am still breastfeeding.  With no end in sight.  I nursed the boys for about 2 years each, and to be honest, I don't remember them nursing as much as V does.  The girl loves her milk.  And I mean she LOVES her milk.  If I sit down, she is right there with me asking for it.  ALL.THE.TIME.  And in the middle of the night...she always wants to belly up to the bar and get drunk.  ALL.NIGHT.LONG.  We attempted night weaning a few months back, only to end up with a stomach virus where the only nourishment she was getting was from me, so we went back to full on all night milk bar.  And then I exposed her to chicken pox and I thought that if she was sick and not feeling well that her milk would make things better.  Well, no chicken pox, so we started night weaning again 2 nights ago.  Whoa.  Psycho girl!  Thank goodness it was cold and rainy, as I am sure if the windows in the house were open the police would have certainly been called by the neighbors.  Can you say blood curdling screams?  For about 2 hours?  Last night was a bit better...hopefully tonight will be no complaining.  I am in the market to get a full nights sleep, and I hope that I get it soon.
And for those of you wondering...I am not sure when I will be weaning completely.  Right now there is no need to, and I am not ready to give up the ability to put my daughter to sleep quickly.  Nothing like nursing a baby to sleep...works like a charm!  That and I really don't want her to go through too much withdrawal at once!  Besides...how can anyone tell that girl no?!?!

How do we get rid of the sickies???

We have a sick house. Nothing terrible, just the constant cold be transferred from person to person. We did really well until about January, and since then we haven't been able to kick the sickies totally out of our house. Jonathan generally brings it home from school, or whatever function he may be going to. Birthday parties seem to really do him in...he has yet to go to one and not be sick 2 days later. Jacob, my dear boy Jacob, couldn't keep himself healthy if you paid him. He has a nose-picking habit that we are so desperately trying to break. His finger is CONSTANTLY up his nose. Even in his sleep...seriously. And poor Victoria is a victim of her brothers love...they like to smother her, and then transfer their germies. Lovely. Thank goodness I breastfeed! Who knows how sick she might be if I wasn't a nursing mother!

Currently I am working on sanitizing the house. They take their vitamins, and get probiotics along with some immune support supplements. What else can I do???

What do YOU do to keep the sickies at bay? Or what do YOU do to let them know they have overstayed their welcome and they need to leave? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

How can something so sweet and innocent looking be driving me mental? That there is my beautiful baby girl. She is happy in that picture, but hasn't been so happy lately. And sleep, forget it. Maybe this is why she isn't so happy...or maybe why I am not so happy. Victoria has taken a liking to screaming at night. Loudly. I can't figure out quite why. She is teething, but she will still scream even loaded up with tylenol or motrin. Just not as much. But it is strange...she will nurse, fall asleep, and then wake in about 30 minutes bitching to move to the other side, or better yet, to lay on my chest. Even if there is still PLENTY of milk left on whatever side she is on, she doesn't want it. I must admit that I do love to have her sleeping on my chest. The boys gave up that habit at about 3 months...here she is at 8 monthsand still loving it. She still melts into me, and to sit and smell that baby smell (Tony thinks I am weird that I like to smell my kids!) as you sleep...there is nothing like it. More than 30 minutes of sleep at a time would be nice though.

So I am off with my tired self today to brave the Science Museum of Boston with my mother. I told myself that I wasn't going to do anything like this since it is February vacation week, but the kids are getting naughty and it is because they are bored. I would send them to a friends to play, but some are away, and whenever Jonathan visits anyone he seems to get sick. So dear ol' unemployed nurse mom will be at my side braving the crowds with me. She has no clue what she is getting into!

I'm ssssssooooooo hungry!

Meet Victoria. Isn't she beautiful? I am absolutely in love with my beautiful baby girl. And I am desperately hungry. My beautiful little girl turns not so beautiful if I eat certain foods...like dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, pumpkin, beef...that is what I can think of at this current second. My diet consists of: chicken, vegetables and the occasional rice or quinoa if I feel like cooking it (which is RARELY!) It is the holiday season and I want egg nog from our milkman, I want fudge, cookies, mashed potatoes and gravy. I want it all, and I can have none of it. Boo-hoo.

Most would say to just put her on formula. I told myself after Jacob that I would never again starve myself for my child. Then it happens. Again. And I refuse to give her formula. Yuck. For one, she won't even take a bottle of breast milk, how is she going to take a bottle of yucky stinky formula? Second, formula is just that, yucky. Fake baby milk. It should (in my opinion) be labeled: NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. Now I know that in some instances, formula is the only option. But not in mine. The formula she would likely be on is something called Neocate. I was a nanny for a little boy that was on Neocate. It is a gray color. It stinks. And it tastes really really bad. I just couldn't do that to my baby. My sweet, sweet baby. That and I would feel totally guilty that I breastfed her brothers for 2 years a piece, and stuck a bottle of yuckiness in her mouth.

So I am hungry...anyone want to feed me totally allergen free food???