30 days of gratitude : 14

One of those days.
One of those weeks.
fever
miserable
snotty nose
bad cough
unsettled sleep
bump on the head
not interested in food
diagnosed ear infection
unbalanced
fall down the stairs
bleeding mouth
cut lip
swollen lip
guilty muma
motherguilt

...and then I met a lady called Liz. A nurse and Australian Breastfeeding Association representative. Who told me that in a baby's first year breastmilk should be their number one source of everything. Food comes second. Breastmilk is magical. Breastmilk will help heal his cut lip and keep him energised and vitalised while he recovers from his infection. I shouldn't worry about how much 'food' he is eating, I shouldn't worry that he is just a little tucker. He is happy and active and loved - the keys to growth.

Did you know that the world average length for breastfeeding is four years? And the western average is three months. Are western mothers ignoring the basic and most vital part of mothering? How can a jar of formula be more appealing than a soft, cushiony breast?

"So many mothers think that because they loose the Dolly Pardon 'look' they think their milk has dried up. There is no truth in that at all - it's just a natural change the body undergoes as it adjusts to feeding. There is still plenty of milk in those breasts," says Liz.

I was thinking I would wean Che at around this time - 12 months. But no, that won't be happening. I will keep feeding him all that natural goodness until he decides that perhaps he'd rather have a babychinno. Marshmallow on the side.

I doubt Liz will read this but today I am grateful to her and her comforting, reassuring words. Because sometimes, as a mum, you just need a bit of reassurance. You need to be told you're doing the right thing.

I needed to be reminded that I have a little boy.

And little boys tend to
run
and fall
and bump
and bruise.

At the moment
I can hear a giggle
and this makes me smile
so much.
I am so grateful
for a giggle
for happiness, healing and health.

30 days of gratitude : 2

It's difficult to feel grateful when a tummy bug invades your home. That awful kind of bug that starts on the baby, then travels to the Daddy and eventually to the Mummy. And just as Bub is feeling like he wants to play and eat again his parents are wiped out with exhaustion and deliberating over a single slice of vegemite toast.

Yes, it was awful and now I can write this and be oh so grateful for good health. And for breastfeeding. It brought me so much comfort to know that even if Baby Ché wasn't interested in food he was still drinking enough milk - milk that would help him heal. So grateful.

Grateful also for Grandmas and their deliveries of chicken noodle soup, fresh muffins, lemonade and a bunch of tulips.

You can tell from the polaroid taken this afternoon that my little snugglepot (good resemblance eh?) has stayed pretty close to his Muma these last few days. What a shock to the system it must be for a little one to feel sick in the tummy. And now that he has been sick I truly believe what I have been told - that a child's awareness heightens after sickness and all of a sudden they are much more aware of the world around them. Today I looked at him and believed he was almost one - he is so dreamy, so interested...wondering and pondering.

So now I do plan to catch up on 30 days of gratitude in September and start enjoying spring - although our grey, windy cold weather wasn't very enticing today.

I'm grateful also for the wonderful thing that is karma. Earlier in the week I was having terrible problems with blogger and the formatting of my blog (don't copy text from a word doc to a blog post - it mucks up the html). Kindly, Michelle from Leni and Rose offered me endless advice over emails. Just so happens that her name was pulled out of the hat for the clothkits giveaway. No surprise really...she deserves it.

rolling eating moving sniffling

Look at this great chair we found...so now little chicken can eat with us, enjoy afternoon tea and stare blankly out the window waiting for a butterfly to flutter by. He doesn't like pumpkin or sweet potato (I'm devastated)...but I have worked out that when I mix it with rice cereal he is none the wiser. But sometimes he does look at me as if to say: "What in the world are you feeding me Mum?"
Poor little thing has just experienced his first cold - oh a snotty nose, a sniffle, watery eyes and lots of whinging. And then Daddy had to go and get sick too so you can imagine how fun our house has been for the last few days. Luckily Daddy's new projector arrived and we have been watching movies on the big white wall in our bedroom (I was hoping to hang a few pics up but I think I've lost the opportunity now). And thank goodness for olive leaf extract...it ensured a quick recovery for all of us (the pumpkin soup, lemon & honey tea and cuddles worked too).
And before you start thinking that we've just been lying about all week watching movies...look at this little mover. Yes, rolling under the table - rolling everywhere actually. We're bracing ourselves for the big move, the big crawl and I am transforming our home into a baby-friendly haven - trying my best to keep it looking beautiful without sacrificing Che's safety. I'm hoping this is the last post that will mention illness for a while...because it is only April and although it is autumn I would like a healthy winter please.