October – 2017 – My Mommyhood Tales

Motherhood

Weaning Our 2-Year Old: The Process That Worked For Us

October 26, 2017

It’s official. After two and a half years, we are DONE breastfeeding! Woo-hoo! (Or from my son’s point of view, “Boo-hoo!”) I remember thinking last spring that I never thought this day would come, as he didn’t show any signs of slowing down. I swear…my milk must have tasted like a strawberry or oreo milkshake to him. You could sway a lollipop, cookie, or his favorite strawberry cupcake in front of him and he would choose my “milks” over all of it every time. And I didn’t mind. I LOVED breastfeeding. I am a huge advocate for it not only for the amazing nutrients it provides your baby, but also for the bonding element. The sweet bond you get to experience never gets old. Even after two and a half years, I loved every moment of it. Sure, at times I thought, boy wouldn’t it be nice to have my boobs back? But I knew this moment of my child being little only lasts such a short while, and I wanted to let him nurse as long as he wanted. One of my favorite nursing quotes by Marni Jackson reads, “Breastfeeding is an unsentimental metaphor for how love works, in a way. You don’t decide how much and how deeply to love – you respond to the beloved, and give with joy exactly as much as they want.” This quote couldn’t resonate more perfectly to me.

Sadly, due to the fact that I needed to start a major detox (from living in black mold) that is unsafe for nursing mamas, I needed to have Anders weaned by an actual date (September 1st). Since we knew I had to be finished nursing by then, we decided to schedule our first no-kids-vacation at the same time. Thus, the pressure was on!

When I started the weaning process, I had no clue where to start. My first-born weaned himself at 15-months. (I was also six-months pregnant at the time so I’m guessing the taste and flavor must have changed a bit which probably was a major factor in the self-weaning process.) The seemingly daunting task of weaning a two-and-a-half-year old (who was nursing four or more times a day) was a bit overwhelming at first. I called friends for advice, among them my go-to guru for all-things-babies-and-toddlers, Nanny Connie. (She is AH-MAZING…I’ve learned so much from this lady! You can pick up some great tips on her Instagram at @nannyconnie or nannyconnie.com). Obviously there’s no one-size-fits-all for the weaning process, especially when you’re dealing with toddlers, but what we did, worked! We basically listened to friends’ advice, completed our own research, and based on knowing our own child, we created our own process of weaning. Here’s what worked for us:

For two weeks, I stuck firm with the following…

I fed him more snacks in-between meals and was sure to offer him liquids more frequently.
My husband put the boys to bed, (instead of both of us), so Anders wouldn’t have the option to be nursed to sleep.
I changed up his daily routine a bit so he wouldn’t expect to nurse during his normal feeding times.
When I did nurse, I shortened the amount of time by half.
After the two weeks, I went for two days straight of not allowing him to nurse at all. I refrained from pumping during those two days as well.
On the third day, I pumped all my milk out, (a HUGE hallelujah moment!) and placed cabbage leaves on my breasts to absorb the little milk that came back.

Shockingly, this worked like a charm. He didn’t experience hardly any of the emotional behaviors that I had read so much about. We took our trip on the following day (after pumping all my milk out), and I was officially done with nursing. I wore cabbage leaves during our long flight to Tahiti, and once we landed in Bora Bora, I was milk-free and pain-free. It was truly a pleasant surprise. And equally shocking, Anders did just fine while we were away. When we arrived back home ten days later, however, it was a bit of a different story. He definitely tugged at the shirt and asked for his “milks,” but I stayed firm on not allowing it. He tried relentlessly for a couple of days, and has even tried a few times since, but thankfully, all of that is lessening. When you wean at this age, it’s definitely not something they soon forget! It’s a natural tendency, and they certainly remember how soothing it is for them.

I never knew how long I would breastfeed my babies when they were born. I simply hoped I was going to be able to breastfeed, and once I could, my goal was to breastfeed for a year. Two and a half years for my second son was far longer than I ever thought I would breastfeed. I’m grateful I was able to do it as long as I did considering I know how much he needed and loved it. I miss it more than I thought I would, yet at the same time, it is pretty darn nice to have my boobs back! Best of luck to all of you weaning mamas…no matter the age, it’s still a daunting and bittersweet process that requires some tough navigation.

Travel

Bora Bora Vacation Recap

October 23, 2017

After four years, we finally did it. We took a husband/wife trip without kids! For a year, we had tried planning a kid-free trip to nearby places like Palm Springs, San Diego, and San Francisco. For whatever reason, (usually my husband’s work schedule), none ever materialized. After an insanely busy summer on top of being out of our home due to water damage/renovations, my husband and I decided to pull the trigger. “If we’re going to do this, let’s commit to it and just go big,” I said. “Otherwise, it’s never going to happen.” I had always wanted to show my husband my all-time favorite island destination, Bora Bora, which I had visited a few times before for work. (Not too shabby work, huh?!) I’ve raved about my favorite Polynesian paradise for years…how “nothing compares to it,” and “when you’re there, you feel like your surrounding is fake,” and “it’s too beautiful to be real.” After showing photo after photo and acting as though I was a sales representative for the Bora Bora Board of Tourism, my husband gave me the thumbs up. Thus, we went online, put our saved up airline miles to good use, and booked our adult getaway to the “Pearl of the South Pacific.” Bora Bora, here we come!

When I had previously experienced Bora Bora for work, I visited some lovely resorts. I stayed at the Intercontinental, Sofitel, and my favorite property was what is now the newly renovated Conrad Bora Bora Nui Resort. However, I had heard and read so many amazing things about the Four Seasons Bora Bora. After doing our own research and finding a deal, we decided to give it a try.

To provide an overview of the hotel, Four Seasons Bora Bora is perhaps one of the most picturesque spots on the island. The location is phenomenal. The resort is surrounded by white sand islets on an outer coral reef harboring the most gorgeous color of turquoise lagoon. And as if that isn’t enough, the backdrop is the absolute best views of Mt. Otemanu. (It’s seriously the most gorgeous views EVER!) Talk about some major beauty-sensory-overload! It consists of 300 over-water-bungalows and ten beachfront villas. The resort’s sprawling property includes a spa, lagoon sanctuary, infinity pool, fitness center, tennis courts, four restaurants, and a chapel.

HIGHLIGHTS

SPA – The spa is FABULOUS! We enjoyed a couples polynesian massage in the spa suite which was divine. The massage tables are situated over a glass window in the floor so you can admire the large amounts of fish in the lagoon while you lay on your stomach. The suite has its own charming soaking tub with flowers, coconut oils, and fresh fruit.

FOOD – The four restaurants offered a great diversity of lunch and dinner options. Our favorite was the beach restaurant with live entertainment. The elegant French restaurant was excellent, as was the sushi restaurant. Our favorite dining experience, however, consisted of simply ordering room service on our private deck in our bungalow at sunset…it was by far the most romantic and picture-perfect setting for a private dining experience.
Overwater bungalow room service dinner on our deck…
ACTIVITIES – Despite wanting to mostly relax, we did venture off to do some activities. We ended up booking the Vitamin Sea Catamaran which was a must-do! We also rented jet skis off property and had a great time on the 2-hour tour around the island, which included a stop to wade in the water and a second stop to learn how to open a coconut. We loved it so much that we ended up doing the tour twice. We also went into town to dine at the notorious Bloody Mary’s, shop, and enjoy chatting with the locals. The boat transfers to the main island were a bit on the pricey side, but it’s pretty much the only way to get there.

STAFF – The staff were so welcoming and lovely. The staff didn’t just know our names, but every person we saw who walked by a staff member would be greeted by name. How they memorized all of us, I have no idea but it was mighty impressive! The attention to detail in the rooms was quite special. Each day, we came back to our room with a different ‘surprise.’ Whether it was an already-drawn bubble bath with petals and champagne, or a plate of delicious sweets and fruit at our bedside, the little details were very memorable. A big, heartfelt “maururu” to the staff for making our experience so magical.

OVERWATER BUNGALOWS – The famous straw-roof luxury huts on stilts in the middle of the most beautiful lagoon are just as amazing as they sound. To be able to fall asleep with the sound of waves beneath you -even on the windy nights with the crashing waves- is so soothing. The private decks enable you to jump into the ocean around your bungalow and admire the colorful fish and sea life underneath.

Overall, it was truly an unforgettable, magnificent experience. Our mission to spend quality time together, recover and rejuvenate from our summer, and create some beautiful memories in such a special place was accomplished. It truly exceeded all of our expectations and then some. We HIGHLY recommend a Bora Bora vacation, hands down. I didn’t do any scuba diving on this particular trip, but I have in all of my previous trips to Bora Bora. To date, it has been my most favorite scuba diving destination with the vibrant colors and amazing variety of sea life. If you can stay a while and are able to travel around, I would definitely suggest visiting Moorea and a day in Papeete (the downtown market is a must-do!), both of which I’ve visited on my previous work trips. I have also visited Rotorua and Huahine which were also memorable. (Huahine has some great vanilla bean fields…I love me some vanilla beans so I greatly advise to order vanilla bean-flavored desserts in Tahiti as they are the real deal! Best Vanilla Bean Ice Cream on the planet!) A few of the friends we made on our vacation visited The Brando on Tetiaroa and said it was unbelievable. I have never been but it sounds exceptional! Even though Bora Bora is a hike for those in the Midwest and East coast, I would still highly recommend this Tahitian paradise…(especially considering the Zika scare in other tropical destinations). It’s truly a magical place that you will create some beautiful memories with your loved one.

Photos by Sadry Ghacir and myself

Birthdays Products

2nd Birthday “Rock” Party

October 20, 2017

After fixing some website issues, I am finally back up and running! HOORAY! With that said, I am now able to post some of my saved posts from the last six months. I’m starting out with my favorite…Anders’ 2nd Birthday “Rock” Party!

I don’t know what it is about rocks, but my Anders is OBSESSED! Small, big, rough, smooth, ugly, pretty…it doesn’t matter what they look like, he loves them all! Thus, when I was trying to figure out a theme for his 2nd birthday, I asked my husband, “Why don’t we throw him a rock party?” I knew it sounded strange, but I couldn’t imagine him loving anything more than a party centered around his passion for rocks.

Since the party-goers consisted of his fellow two-year old music class pals and their siblings, we kept the rock activities very little-kid-friendly. We had large bins filled with cereal in the shape of small pebbles/rocks and provided small shovels to scoop the ‘rocks’ into little dump trucks and buckets. We also had a rock painting table which seemed to be the favorite among the older siblings. In lieu of gifts, we asked everyone to bring a cool rock. The actual invitation read, “In place of gifts, please bring a rock of any shape, size or color. Whether it’s from your backyard or off the side of the road, anything will do!” Needless to say, Anders LOVED his new rock additions to his collection. Some of the gifted rocks were quite impressive! He received some awesome geodes, a large rock with his name painted on top, and one that was bedazzled. Who knew an actual rock party involving rock-gift-giving could be so cool?!

A big thank you to our photographer Ashley Burns for the awesome photos! And thank you to Stephen Joseph Gifts and Hape Toys for the great party favors, as well as our beloved Polkatots for the AMAZING cupcake cake (with edible rocks)! And I can’t forget my son AJ who helped his mama decorate the night before and make the Oreo dirt cups…he loved putting the gummy worms and mini dump trucks on top of the “dirt” topping. This party theme truly “rocked.”:)

Pics below by Ashley Burns.

Our simple table decorations of cheap work hats, cones and Hape dump trucks.

Our lovely street-table runner made out of construction paper.

Our party favors were these adorable Stephen Joseph activity books and pull-string backpacks. Dump truck-theme for the boys and a pink garden/owl-theme for the girls.