Our last feed

I can't let another moment go by without writing about something that took place this week.  It seems I've breastfed my last child for the last time.  Weaning Henry has been a drawn-out affair.  The boy likes his booby.  A lot.  He got to the point of pointing at me and saying "dat milk!" (as opposed to the milk he gets out of a cup).  I still enjoyed nursing Henry, for the most part, but I was also done being pawed at and having my shirt lifted up over my still clinging-on baby belly, sometimes in public.  And yes, there was still milk.  Our bodies produce milk as long as milk is still being taken out by a searching little mouth.

My last few feeds with him weren't great - it hurt.  The guy has powerful suction and a lot of teeth.  But the last feed (or what I assume was the last one as it was about 72 hours ago), was lovely.  Exactly what I wanted it to be.  As he snuggled up and fed, I rubbed his head, caressing his soft curls, just like I've done hundreds, nay, thousands, of times before.

I've spent countless hours feeding my babies.  I don't feel sad that this era has come to an end in our lives.  I still nourish them on a daily basis in so many different ways.  I'm happy to be leaving this behind now.  And I'm so glad to have taken this journey with them.  It was hard.  I really struggled with feeding Emily and Hope at the beginning, not because of a lack of milk supply (I had an over-abundance) but because of engorgement, cracked and bleeding nipples, blocked ducts, a baby (Emily) with a tiny mouth.  It was so hard but so worth it.

And it will stay with them, and me, for the rest of our lives.

Breastfeeding Emily for the first time with the help of my amazing midwife, Sarah.

Breastfeeding Hope on Day 1 or 2.  Hope was born at home and with a toddler around there were few chances for photos.

Breastfeeding Henry for the first time with the help of my other amazing midwife, Mina (different midwife because Henry was born in Kitchener).

Spring back: photo look-back Part 1 - May 2012

The last couple of months have been filled with sports, end of school events, outings, travel, baking, get-togethers, gardening, and general (good) busy-ness.  Over the next few days, I'm going to take a photo tour, month-by-month, of what we've been up to this spring.

My 40th birthday bling bash was totally fun and rocking (well, as much as a group of 40+ women can rock it out when we are tired from kids and work and the usual stuff at the end of the day).  We met at Sassy Bead in The Glebe (one of my favourite stores of all time - and sadly, now closed) and made jewellery, ate, drank and laughed and talked until we exhausted our creativity and our store hosts.  We were planning to head to a pub after that but instead, a few of us who still had energy, albeit waning, went back to mine and finished the evening over tea and raspberry cream cake.  A fitting way for the 40-crowd to end an evening, dontcha think?

The birthday girl... ready to par-tay!

Ready to get our bead on

Finally a shot of the photographer (Pam, middle)

Meredith and Julie in deep concentration

Andrea made the most complex jewellery of the evening

So many choices, so little time!

Isobel and I looking fab!

A final group shot (minus Pam)

Spending an evening with a group of women like this, all close friends, who I've known for a long time or come to know in the last few years or even months, is the best way to welcome your forties. It was a really special night.

And then only about a week later (on May 19), Henry turned two.  No kidding!  The tantrums, screaming fits and general grumpiness on his part leading up to this birthday gave us a clear indication of his age and warning of more fun to come.  Man, this kid has a temper.  Still wonderful and tons o' fun though (she says through gritted teeth).

Happy to get a sandbox for his birthday (truthfully, we already owned the sandbox - it had been in the garage - we just filled it with new sand - can you say frugal and awesome!?)

Could this be the last Dora cake I every make? Please make it so.

Filling his face with Dora at Pam and Jim's.

And that, my long ignored friends, was our May (for the most part).  Stay tuned for a June round-up!