Weaning Your One-Year-Old Off Breastfeeding

Like I've said before, I expected to breastfeed Charlotte for the first two years of her life. However, I have decided that one year of being exclusively breastfed is an accomplishment, and I am starting to slowly wean her off the breast.

I thought I would be able to quit breastfeeding cold turkey, but at this point I'm still too tired to wake up and stay up in the middle of the night when Charlotte gets up looking for boob. Instead, for the last week I've stopped breastfeeding all day, and I even try to get her to sleep at night without it. When she wakes up at 4 or 5a.m., she gets to cuddle up with the boob, which I'm sure is the highlight of her little night.

It hasn't been easy, but it has been easier than I expected it to be. She still pulls at my shirt once or twice a day, and she's definitely harder to get to sleep without breastfeeding. I'm starting to learn other ways to get her to sleep, whether it's rocking her to A Perfect Circle concerts on TV or driving up into the foothills of the mountains playing my "Baby" playlist. She also likes to eat or snack almost every hour, so keeping on top of that ensures she's a happy girl.

I've also been giving her multiple options for drinking organic cow milk and water throughout the day. My daughter has never been a fan of bottles, and up until recently sippy cups were not her favorite, except to play with maybe. I found a moment of relief recently when she started successfully drinking out of her preferred sippy cups. Trying tons of different brands, I've finally found two that Charlotte is successful with, which are either Tommee Tippees' 4m+ First Sips Transition Cup or Munchkin's Weighted Flexi Straw Trainer Cup.

Every other sippy cup Charlotte would use gave so much of the drink at one time that she would just spit it down her chin, soaking her shirt. I found the Tommee Tippee cup for smaller babies, and I noticed (I think with the help of my sister Ashley) that there was only one hole on the mouthpiece compared to the three in the other cups for older babies. We also like this cup because it's portable and lightweight, making it possible for Charlotte to carry the cup around everywhere she goes. 

The Munchkin straw cup was a great discovery once my mom taught Charlotte how to drink out of a straw while she was babysitting one day. (Grandma's house is always a fun place for Charlotte, she comes back learning to play peek-a-boo or saying something new.) A great feature of this cup is that it's virtually spill proof, and I say virtually because if your baby decides to blow as hard as they can into the straw, you can believe some pressure might start pushing milk up out the straw very slowly throughout the day. Or when your toddler throws the cup at the hardwood floor constantly throughout the day, damage could eventually be done. However, we're still on our first cup, and we have no complaints here. Another great feature of this Trainer Cup is that the weighted straw ensures the baby will get even the last drop, no matter which way they hold it. 

I've also noticed that if Charlotte is refusing the cup, but hasn't had a drink in a while, I'll cuddle her close and then offer it, and typically this works like a charm. I have to remember that although I'm not breastfeeding her, she's used to a lot of cuddles and closeness associated with nursing.

I'm not sure when I'm going to stop breastfeeding at night, but I'll worry about that another time. Thanks for following along everyone!

Our Adventures — Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology

You know, I really love my job. Not only do I get the work from home, but when I do leave the house on official business, it usually consists of a trip to a local museum, a snazzy restaurant review, an opening party for a new nightlife destination or a family-friendly activity that's fun for everyone in my clan. A little while back, we took a trip to the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology for a feature I wrote for IEShineOn.com.

I attended the museum with two out of three of my sisters, Natalie and Lindsey, with the three second-generation girls in tow, Sadie, Mabie and Charlotte.

We had a great time at the museum. The kids were instantly hooked by all the hands-on, interactive displays and activities there were. The educational aspect of the museum was just a bonus, as the kids didn't even realize how much they were actually learning while digging for dinosaur bones, the oldest of the three reading everything in sight. I found myself answering question after question to the young girls as we passed countless skeletons, fossils and more.

 

The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology was easy to find, as it is located on The Webb Schools campus. To find out more information about the museum, read more here in my feature for IEShineOn.com.

Photography — Amateur Tips for a DIY Newborn Photo Shoot

There is nothing more intimidating to me than a newborn photo shoot. I think this is because newborns are a little unpredictable, and they seem so fragile. However, once I get passed that, it's nothing but excitement. The newborn phase goes away before it really sinks in for parents, so it's best to take pictures sooner than later! Here are some quick tips for newborn photo shoots.

1. Accessories. In real life, I'm not one to put headbands or anything uncomfortable on babies. However, I'm not opposed to doing so in the name of a great photograph. Sometimes simple accessories with an otherwise naked baby is the most adorable styling you can do. 

2. Positioning. Make sure you use a nursing pillow and other soft padding to position and prop the baby in cute, comfortable positions. This is something I still am working on perfecting, but once you find the perfect spot and the baby is relaxing, you can really take some sweet sleepy pictures . . . which are also essential in a newborn photo shoot!

3. Meaningful Props. It's a great idea to take a picture of the baby with something meaningful to the family. For my daughter's newborn photo shoot, we took a picture with her and the softball glove my dad brought her in the hospital (it's his tradition for his granddaughters). This inspired me to take the picture above of this beautiful baby girl in an antique box, which has been handed down in her family from generation to generation.

4. The More the Merrier. Take tons of pictures, because babies movie so much it can be hard to get a perfect shot. I took these last two pictures with my iPhone, and they were some of my favorites from the day. You never know when something cute is going to happen, so caution on the side of snapping too many photos! It's better to have too many to choose from than not enough.

I hope these quick, simple tips help you on your endeavor to amateur photography. Please share your advice in the comments below!