Weaned. Like a Boss.

I totally forgot that months ago (and I mean MONTHS ago), a woman who read my blog sent me an email asking me to mention her blog in my blog to raise awareness for Mesothelioma.  I meant to do just that (I REALLY did), but apparently forgot (I'M A HORRIBLE FRIEND!!).  Anyways, her name is Heather, and here was her email request:

Hi April! Thanks so much for emailing me! The reason I have reached out to you is because of your blog! I am 44 and a mother to a quirky little 7 year old, Lily. She is my only child, and my whole world. When Lily was just 3 1/2 months old, I was diagnosed with Mesothelioma; a type of cancer that kills 90-95% of those who have it. As I’m sure you can imagine, the first thing that came to mind when I was diagnosed was my baby girl and how I wasn’t going to be able to watch her grow up.

After intense treatment and recovery, I’m still here almost 7 years later and cancer free! My journey with cancer was a terrifying one and I'd like to turn my pain into purpose and become someone that other people can look to for guidance, inspiration, and hope in situations like my own. I contacted you because I feel that your blog would be an excellent place for me to share my story. I realize that you may be thinking my story is not exactly a perfect fit for your blog audience, but I’m trying to raise awareness of this horrible little known cancer that is such a deadly killer (and sadly, 100% preventable) Would you accept a guest post from me about my journey as a new mother with cancer and the dangers of asbestos? I would love if you could at least include my link in your blogroll! Here is the link to my blog if you want to read some of my story: www(dot)mesothelioma.com/blog/authors/heather

So please take a moment to click on the link to Heather's blog to read her story!  I can't imagine being in her shoes, or being a parent watching a child fight cancer.

So big news....two days ago, Delano walked for the very first time!!  He walked between me and my mom, and then between me and Lucas.  He's still not stable enough to take off on his own quite yet, but he tests the water all the time.  He'll now walk around the coffee table, pick up an object, then let go of the coffee table and just stand there checking out said object.  I don't know if he even realizes he's just standing there not holding onto anything.  But it's only a matter of probably DAYS before he attempts to walk all by himself!

Our future?  I highly doubt that baby was riding that bike.....

Another thing that happened two days ago was that Delano weaned himself from breastfeeding.  Wham, bam, just like that.  The other morning, when Delano woke up and we went to the couch for our morning routine, he INSTANTLY clamped down on my nipple with his teeth.  We tried again, and he did the same thing.  I tried switching sides, and he did it again.  He wasn't even attempting to eat (but he was bawling his little eyes out), so after several attempts I finally fixed a bottle instead.  He did breastfeed both that afternoon and evening, though, so I figured maybe he just felt bad that morning (we think he might be teething some more, but aren't quite sure yet).  The next morning, he wouldn't even look at my boob.  He screamed and shoved it away.  And has been doing that ever since!

I'm bummed for two reasons.  First because he doesn't seem to want my boobs at all anymore (sniff sniff), and second because I really wanted to avoid switching to formula full time.  I pumped a few times yesterday and ended up with 3 ounces total, which I gave to him right before bed.  But it took me a long time to get that mere 3 ounces, and it was gone in a matter of minutes.  I have four 5-ounce bags of breastmilk left in the freezer, and then that's IT.  So it looks like Delano pretty much decided to wean himself.  And since he's not quite old enough yet for any other type of milk, formula it has to be.  On a good note, he's a little less than 4 weeks away from hitting the one-year mark, and he's only getting 2-3 bottles a day, with the morning bottle being 8 ounces and the other two being about 4-5 ounces.

Ummmmm........I'm not THAT distraught.....

So I'm 15 1/2 week preggers as of now!  Wednesday will be 16 weeks and the 4 month mark.  I know I look pregnant, but I still feel just fat.  I've had some of those super-low ab pains that come with being pregnant (especially if you're in bed on your back and you do something like cough or try to sit up), but otherwise I'm doing fine!  I broke out the body pillow last night to help me get comfortable, since the last two nights I've tossed and turned trying to fall asleep.  But there's been no more nausea (YAY!!!) and I'm actually not shoveling food into my face like I was before, so things are settling down.  I'm still just as tired, especially in the afternoons, and I'm still running very little.  The last time I ran, I actually pulled a muscle in my butt.  Fun times.

And so this is how I stretched it out.  Just kidding.  Fun fact:  this photo came from a blog called, "Confessions of a Watery Tart".

And to wrap this up with a picture of my own baby, here's a picture Delano's Grandpa took last weekend while we were in Nashville.  :)