Bye bye breasts

R is officially weaned. It took a good month to get him completely off the breast, but now he is strictly guzzling from sippy cups, and I am ambivalent.

I am so dedicated to breastfeeding. I think it is one of the very best things I can do for my babies, and I have battled pumping, bleeding nipples, infected milk ducts, and bites from tiny, sharp baby teeth all for the cause. Both boys breastfed for more than 13 months, and we never bought any formula. By the end of that year, I am ready to have my breasts back. I am tired of leaking and anxious to fit back in my clothes again. I am anxious to hand over more of the feeding duties to T and more than ready to stop nursing in public places.

So there are many bonuses, but there are also some drawbacks. First my monthly visitor rears its ugly head after being dormant for a solid year. Also, my breasts shrink back to their old size and suddenly seem nonexistent compared to my breastfeeding bounty. And lastly, and most heart-wrenching, R (and Q two years ago) no longer needs me as much. Of course he needs his mom to dress him and bathe him and change him and warm up his oatmeal. But anyone can do that. Nursing was something just between the two of us. He would reach for me, and follow me with his eyes. He would light up when I came into the room and demand to be handed over. I could instantly make him utterly content. Nothing beats that.

He is still a mama's boy and never fails to give me a dazzling smile. But I miss the shared closeness of breastfeeding. Somewhat.

--MM

Why Jon and Kate Fascinate

I mentioned the television show Jon and Kate Plus Eight in my previous post and a friend commented on how she shared my fascination with it. I have never watched the show much and actually avoided it. I found it sort of dull and didn't feel it was necessary to hear other children throw tantrums when I had the real-life experience at home. Lately though, I find myself sort of intrigued by the program, and I'm not sure why.

Now the family is flawed. Now they are struggling with possible infidelity and a crack in their happy exterior. And their hardship is played out for all the world to see. Maybe it is the voyeurism of watching an imperfect marriage straining at the seams. Maybe it is because watching them makes me feel like I am better off and superior in some way. I am not entirely sure, and I am not exactly proud of being fascinated about their situation.

My husband finds the program irritating and does not remotely understand my interest. He also doesn't get why I look forward to receiving my Us Weekly and curiously page through recent celebrity meltdowns and indiscretions.

I don't dedicate vast amounts of time to following the latest exploits of Britney Spears or Angelina Jolie. Mostly, I find that sort of news vapid and dull. I like to think of myself as a (mostly) intellectual person. But perusing a few Us Weekly articles while watching the season premiere of a reality TV show is like a good gossip session. It is candy for the brain. You don't want to overindulge, but a little taste now and then can't hurt. Right?

--MM

Pre-dawn boot camp

I have not had to get up at 4:15 a.m. in awhile, but now that will be part of my life. At least two days a week. I taught my first boot camp class this morning. I only had one participant as it was the very first class of any at this new gym, but we still had a good workout. In fact, this woman was the picture of fitness. I was really pulling out tricks to make sure she broke a sweat. She seemed satisfied though, and I was feeling energized for my day. I did crash in mid-afternoon from my sleep-deprived night. I only had about five hours of sleep as it was, and those few hours were filled with dreams of exercise routines and Jon and Kate Plus Eight.

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T had off today because he worked Saturday, so we tried to cross a few things off our to-do list. I was fresh from a nap with my hair still unshowered and now askew from the couch cushions. We gathered up papers and documents and headed out. We finalized our accounts at a new bank and then hit the DMV. For some reason I had forgotten you actually need to take a picture for your license. I tried to brush my greasy bangs to the side, but it is still a pretty hideous picture. Oh well. Few people will ever see it. It's not like bouncers even ask for my ID anymore. And I refuse to post it here.

--MM

Dressed to impress

Shopping is my friend. I love scouring stores and scoring sales and putting together new outfits. It gets me going and makes me feel good. Shopping for my boys is a close second. I like putting together cute little ensembles and selecting little loafers and sandles. I like dressing Q and R to match and admiring their dapper appearance.

One of my absolute addictions is Gymboree (I also like Baby Gap and Old Navy). I spent some time at Gymboree today as a matter of fact. It is a cornucopia of kid cuteness. They come up with new themes every few months, and you can often find good stuff on the sale rack not long after the styles first appear. My one complaint is they tend to have cuter girls' stuff, but that is almost always the case. They do have lots of wonderful boy attire. Today I snapped up two crab tank tops, two monkey shirts, little khakis and madras shorts for Q, and two little pairs of shorts for R. Lots of cuteness.

I guess part of it is that my children are a reflection of me, so I want them to be well-groomed and polished. But also I am just so proud of them and think they deserve to be well-dressed and cared for. However this pastime could become costly, especially if I have more children!

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It has been a busy, productive weekend. We had a nice date night Saturday and saw "Angels and Demons." It was entertaining, though it helped to read the book first to follow it. Afterward, we hit two bars for fatty snacks and drinks. The next morning, we took part in events for the Madison Marathon. I did the quarter marathon (6.55 miles) and got 53:00 which is 8:02/mile pace. I was pretty thrilled with that time. Q ran the kids' race with T. He was one of the youngest competitors in the .6 mile race. T said Q was a little shy and nervous about it and had to stop a few times to check out interesting things, but he managed to cross the finish line to accept his medal....


.......He lost it shortly after. My parents came over to the races. My dad is with Q in the picture above. Right after we had a two-hour drive to my nephew's 7th birthday party. Today we cooked out, shopped, and went for a walk. A very nice weekend, and T also has tomorrow off.

Tomorrow I start my teaching at another gym bright and early. The class starts at 5:30 a.m., but it is a 25 minute drive. That will mean a painfully early wake-up call. But, despite that minor drawback, I am excited to get going on this new project. I will be teaching at two places, a total of five classes a week. It will be a nice set-up and gives me an outlet of my own, a chance to work out, and still a ton of time at home with my kiddoes. I am starting to finally feel satisfied and content in our new home, and I am enthusiastic about expanding my knowledge and expertise in the fitness field. It's all falling into place!

--MM

American Idol Upset

Watercoolers will be buzzing tomorrow. Granted I was a Danny Gokey fan, but I liked Kris Allen in the end. We even voted by text twice for the first time. T and I just started watching last year. Prior to that I never tuned in but always felt like I wasn't in on the national conversation the next day. It's such a huge part of pop culture now, it's best to partake.

Debate will be interesting tomorrow over whether people voted against Adam Lambert because he is apparently gay and is a flamboyant performer. That is probably partly the case, but people did have to vote for Kris all along the way. It is just a mainstream America show, so you can not win if you go too far out of the norm. I didn't care for Adam's constant screeching and felt he was far too theatrical for my tastes. Not that I will run out and by a Kris Allen CD, (that "No Boundaries" song is hideous), but everyone likes a horse race.

My real favorite "So You Think You Can Dance" begins tomorrow. Now that's good TV.

--MM

Wisconsin the Beautiful

It was a glorious weekend. Temperatures were in the 60's and 70's, the skies were bright blue, and life was good.

Saturday I had a manicure/pedicure/massage appointment for my Mother's Day present. It even included a nap after the massage which was ideal, and this spa offers free polish changes between mani/pedi appointments. How cool is that? Later, we watched Once, a movie and soundtrack with which I am now obsessed. I highly recommend it.

Sunday we went to the zoo and had wine and snacks outside at a cafe in downtown Madison. Earlier I ran outside listening to the aforementioned Once soundtrack. Inspired by the incredible music and breathtaking day, I breezed through seven miles with ease. I love those runs. They don't happen often enough.

I was taken by our beautiful surroundings and set out later to capture some images. A beautiful place to call home:











--MM

Potty time!

Q has peed in the potty three times! The first time was last night. He shouted, "I'm doing it!" as the little trickle came out. T and I were so excited! What a rush of pride you feel from a seemingly minor thing.

I created a potty chart with columns for sitting on the potty (0), going pee-pee (1), and poo-poo (2). He gets a sticker for each accomplishment on his chart and one to wear as well with the coveted Thomas the Tank Engine stickers reserved for the pee-pee and poo-poo. He proudly wore his sticker to bed last night and peed twice this morning again. He is quite pleased with himself and likes flushing the potty. I am proud of him but also looking forward to getting one child out of diapers. The "2" column is still empty and pooping will take some effort. But still, this is quite an achievement in the MM household!

This morning after reading books to Q on the potty for 20 minutes, changing diapers twice, and then trying to coax Ruby to poop in the yard, it occurred to me how much of my life revolves around excrement right now. Try not to be too jealous.

--MM