I'm Going to Start Wearing a Sign

The sign shall read:

*Yes, I'm still breastfeeding.

*No, he's not walking.

*That's cereal under his nose, not snot.

My Child Needs Nothing

My child needs nothing. He has two rooms full of toys at our house and one additional room full of toys at my parents house. He has toys to entertain him while in his stroller and while in his car seat. He has ample clothing, hat and coats.

Yet, we still by him crap. Why do we do this when he would be just as happy playing with pots and pans as he is a set of blocks?

I don't have a good answer, except to think that maybe we're starting to build his nostalgia pile of crap that he will one days leave in our basement, look at occasionally, say "aw," then put it back until he buys his first house and we either force him to take the box of crap with him to his own basement or pitch the contents.

But until then, every time we go to the Science Center, or the zoo or some other child-friendly tourist trap we will likely continue to buy him crap. He now has a green stuffed monkey that will always remind him of the time we took him to the zoo when he was almost one year old and he finally remained awake enough to notice the bears, gorillas and gift shop.

Blah Blah Blah

Thanks to MacDad for providing me with this graphic illustration of the things I yap about on this blog. It's like looking at a reflection of yourself in words.

When to Wean?

When MacBaby was one month old, I thought "I am one twelfth of the way done with breastfeeding."

Eleven months later, I no longer have such thoughts. Now that he's well on his way to becoming a foodie, the nursing is more supplemental and not at all bothersome to me.

I'm wondering, do I stick with my plan on stopping at a year, or keep it going?

On one hand, it's really not that big of a deal to keep breastfeeding. MacBaby and I still seem to enjoy the bonding it bring us, and he's capable of enjoying other beverages from bottles, sippy cups and even regular cups. And, when else in our lives will we be able to be that close? When else will I be able to provide for him nutritionally directly from my body?

On the other hand, he's still nursing to go to sleep at night, and I could have a little more freedom during the 7 p.m. hour for all that fun laundry that needs doing.

When do you decide to wean and why?

A Wife Swap Between Me and Myself

I have had the good fortune recently to have some time off of work and spend quality time with MacBaby. The juxtaposition between working mom and stay at home mom (even for a few days) reminds me of a television program I watched a few years ago.

One night I couldn't sleep and while channel surfing, I found a program where a stay at home mom switched places with her working husband. There were tensions in their marriage because he didn't understand why he never had clean work shirts. Why couldn't she manage a daily load while staying at home with their three children? He warned her of the perils of his taxing job, but they forged ahead with the switch for a week.

At the end of the experiment, the mom revealed she had a great time entering the working world. She enjoyed meeting the dad's clients and spending some time in a professional setting. The dad, on the other hand, looked like he ran through a tornado. Not only did he realize while his laundry wasn't done in a daily basis, but he had a heck of a time adhering to the kids' schedules, making play dates and hosting a neighborhood get together. Then, he took the whole fam to Disney world as an apology for being such an a-hole.

I feel fortunate experience both sides of the situation. When time allows, I love being with my baby and taking care of him. I also like the fact that I can contribute to my family's well being through financial security. Both have their challenges and their rewards. But, it's a lot cozier to cuddle up next to my baby then my computer.

Food Chart by Food Type

Wholesome Baby Food has posted a food chart by food type, as opposed to child's age. I think this will be helpful for our little guy, who is now enjoying a good steak accompanied by peas and sweet potatoes, with blueberries (his favorite) for dessert.

MacDad's Advice for New Dads

A friend of the MacFamily Unit just had a baby. Follows is an email from MacDad to this new dad.

Congrats. My only advice is, don't turn to your wife after the first sleepless night and say "You better figure this shit out, I gotta go back to work." She won't likely forget it very quickly. Or perhaps ever.

Other items:

• Eastern europeans have uniquely domainant genes; I'm not surprised that she is more Hungarian-flavored than Korean. In the formation of our son, MacMama's russian jew genes crushed mine like a line of T-72s plowing through Prague. But he turned out to be pretty cool anyway.
• C-Sections are wild. Did you get to be in the OR? Did you get a clean suit? I accidentally peeked when they did MacMama's. Fucking gore everywhere. Something that looked like pork tenderloin, slathered with jelly; I think it was the placenta. Brings a new level of respect for the mama.
• Get out of the hospital as soon as you can. Don't let the nurses or doctors give you any shit. Everyone has advice and it's often conflicting or wrong. Once you get home things get substantially more sane.
• OK, one more tip: Nobody comes in or out of your house without bringing you something (food, baby shit) or taking something away (garbage, baby shit.) No casual sightseers.
  

Now you just have to spend the rest of you life caring for, feeding and nurturing that girl. And keeping her off the pole. Really, that's about it. Congrats again.

LOL.