Weaning

I questioned even writing this post, as it surrounds a sensitive, private, and somewhat hotly debated topic, but since this blog was created to chronicle Ella's milestones and special moments, it's a must.

Nursing, for myself as much as for Ella, has been a major part of the parenting journey so far. When she was a newborn, I felt like I'd never get my body back to myself, and there were definitely moments of resentment. However, most of the time, it was and has been just this magical continuation of my relationship with my daughter that started when she was in my belly. It was how we stayed connected to one another even though we no longer shared the same physical space. It was, overall, one of the biggest joys and blessings of the 16 months we've spent, day and night, together. I'm sad to see it go. Many tears have, and will be, shed in its passing.

But, for the first time, I'm harboring this amazing feeling that Ella is really growing into her independence, and that, in turn, means I get some of mine back too. I decided to start weaning last Tuesday, really because Ella had been very sick with a stomach bug for about 3 weeks, and once she was well, I was desperate to nurse her less often. So I decided that I would start (very slowly) cutting back her nursing sessions from 6-7 per day down to none. I would start with the morning feeding, then after several days, I would cut out any other feedings that didn't surround napping or bedtime. Then, painfully, I would cut out the naps and bedtime. I assumed this would all take about 6-8 weeks. I was prepared; I had my gameface on.

Today is day 6. We are down to one nap and bedtime--although so far today she's napped in the car for 20 minutes and with Hal while he was with her this afternoon. So really, today we're down to bedtime. I won't go so far as to say that this process will be done in the next few days. I'm not rushing it. But the funny thing is that Ella doesn't seem to mind the speed of this process one bit. So, we'll see how the next 6 days go. If they're even partly as smooth as the last 6, I'll look back and wonder why I stressed out so much. Still, any prayers and good thoughts are greatly appreciated (especially about Mommy's emotions)!

Let the Potty "Training" Begin

A few weeks ago, my mom bought Ella a potty. It sat in the guest bathroom, and Ella seemed vaguely interested in its presence. Before her bath some nights, when I remembered, I'd sit her on it for a second and ask if she had to go pee-pee (pardon my French). She'd say, "Yes", do nothing, and then she probably went while in the bath.

Until yesterday.

At some point during the evening, Ella meandered into the bathroom, sat on the toilet (I then picked her up and took off her diaper and returned her to her throne), and went to the bathroom. She then stood up, looked at me with expectation of praise, and boy did I ever praise her!

Two hours later, before her bath, she did it again.

I titled this post Potty "Training" because we're not actually training Ella to do anything. I hadn't meant to even consider getting her to use the potty for many months. But since she seems so interested, we'll see how this plays out!

Sidenote: Ella has FINALLY been sleeping 10 hours a night and until 6:30 or 7:00!! This is a HUGE change from 4:45 AM, which has been the norm for months. So happy. :)

Mommy and Daughter Time

Just wanted to post this memory so that I don't forget it down the line.

Today, Ella was watching The Wiggles so I decided to sit on the couch near her and catch up on some reading. After a few minutes, Ella looked up, saw me reading, and asked to be picked up to sit on our adjoining couch (clarification: Ella can only say, "Up", but I consider that a full statement). There we sat, each on our own couch, just relaxing a bit on a rainy day. She continued to watch The Wiggles until sometime several minutes later, I looked up and realized that she had her Baby's Spanish Dictionary in her lap. I watched as she turned each page slowly, making sure to point out to herself every picture she knew--la vaca, el perro, etc. My little copycat sat there for a long time, just catching up on her reading like Mommy. Sometimes when kids copy you, it's really annoying. Sometimes, it's the most precious form of flattery.

Early August...

Picked up my camera for the first time since Ella's bday...

Gammaw please

My mom came with Ella and me to Target today to pick up a few things. Ella has been teething (or so we think), and so she's been having a bit of a hard day at home. Thus, we decided on an outing with Gammaw.

We had a great time, and Ella's mood was seeming to improve as the afternoon went on. Until we went to drop Gammaw off at her house. Ella started bawling in the carseat and reaching for my mom. And what grandmother can resist the outstretched arms of a crying grandchild? Ella's can't.

So, we went inside to visit Pop for awhile and play. 15 minutes later, it was time to try and go home...again. This time, Ella was much more blunt about things. She reached OUT of my arms for Gammaw's and when I tried to take her back, she turned and rested her head on my mom's shoulder, refusing to make eye contact with me. At that point, I left. And Ella stayed.

And I realized that Ella has never picked someone else to hold her over me until today. I spent the last 13 months carrying her around (and far too often) wondering when she would be less needy of mommy. The day has come, and my heart is torn. On the one hand, I said goodbye to a certain "babyness" in Ella today, and I'm a bit sad. On the other hand, WOOHOO! She's branching out! I'm gonna ride this wave and focus on the latter hand.

That's not my puppy

Ella has a book that we read before bed sometimes. Each page has a different puppy and a reason why that's NOT your puppy (example: That's not my puppy. Its paws are too bumpy.) The final page says, "THAT'S my puppy! His nose is so squashy!" Each time we find Ella's puppy, we kiss his squashy nose.

Today, Ella was playing with her toys and books. She gingerly took out the Puppy book, opened it straight to the last page, and gave her puppy a kiss. Then, she closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf. No need to read each page--she just wanted to love on her puppy for a second and then move on.