Tender Mercies

I woke up one day in January, feeling a sense of urgency to have another child. My baby was 10 months old. It took us 5 years to get her here, so a part of me thought we should start trying ASAP because of my unpredictable fertility. For a few weeks, I fought an internal battle about my choice to breastfeed for a year. Nursing isn't technically birth control, but in my case, it was a pretty good bet. I felt guilty for wanting to go to a year because what if I was preventing another baby to come sooner? Was it wrong for me to want to nurse my miracle baby for a year, thus making the possibility of baby #2 come later? But then if I stopped nursing her before I year, was I withholding some sort of bonding or nutrition opportunity from her? For weeks I tossed these thoughts around, seeking advice and wisdom from trusted friends and family. I soon came to the realization that I loved nursing. I didn't want to stop. I felt peace when I nursed my daughter and I had made...

photo credit: Victor Whipple I was sitting on the couch the other day watching my baby play. She won't be a baby for much longer and I think there is a part of me that is mourning. Toddlerhood is coming towards us like a runaway train. Lately I've noticed some little quirks about my baby and wondered if something was wrong with her.  Is it normal for her to pull at her hair while shes's nursing? Why does she hit herself or bonk her head against the wall (albeit gently)? Why is she grinding her little baby teeth? Why does she have to put EVERYTHING into her mouth?? Shouldn't she have outgrown this by now? As I was thinking all of these things, I realized I didn't want my baby to have any  weaknesses. I didn't want to accept that she would struggle with things or have some silly idiosyncrasies. Why couldn't she just stay by perfect little baby forever?  But isn't that what motherhood is all about? It's about learning to let go ...

In honor of my baby turning two months old on May 5th, I decided it is the perfect time to record my six favorite items that helped me keep my sanity during the first 6 weeks after her birth. There are so many wonderful items for mom and baby, but these are the items I used nearly every day during the first few weeks after Adelai joined our family.  These first 6 weeks postpartum are truly a time for healing and recuperation for mama, so anything that can aid in this is much appreciated! 6. Protein Cookies & Healthy Muffins I noticed immediately after birth that I was STARVING. I guess that's to be expected, but what I didn't realize was that I would be so hungry ALL.THE.TIME for the next few weeks. Breastfeeding is no joke. I was more hungry than when pregnant! Luckily I had made up these cranberry protein cookies  from Raising Generation Nourished and my own chestnut buckwheat muffins ahead of time, so when hunger striked (even in the middle of the ...