olive had her first swim lessons with her dada! i, unfortunately, could not attend. boooooo. hc did his best to take some photos of their first experience but…they are so so and they will do. haha, i asked him to ask someone to snap a few photos of them but he didn’t. c’est la vie!
hc and olive got inside the pool and all was well. olive wasn’t too worried or fussy. she was entertaining the fact that she was in a pool with her dad but she wasn’t hip on the idea of other people around her in the pool. as usual, she was not a happy camper. stranger danger! she gets super clingy around people she doesn’t know and this little group of swimmers was making her a bit uncomfortable. she’s a trip!
they went through a series of activities and olive was upset. she didn’t want to be in anyone else’s arms. she didn’t want anyone to touch her and she definitely didn’t want to give the instructor any high fives! oh dear. thank goodness, being in daddy’s arms was pretty much the case until this happened…
there is a part of the class where the instructor takes your babe and pulls her across the pool – all hell broke loose. she shrieked bloody murder and flipped out! eeekkkkkk. oh olive.
overall, it was still a success despite her mini meltdowns. she was in the water. she did have fun and the next few lessons will be easier and better! i am hoping to catch one of her lessons soon and see my little babe in action! soon she will be a trained mermaid! i can’t wait for her to be a little swimmer!
on 6.24.15 is a day i will always remember. it’s the day baby olive decided to not nurse anymore! whaaaaat?! yes, it happened. i wasn’t sure when this day would arrive and i was not ready for it.
i remembered telling myself that i would do my best to hit six months with nursing olive, at minimum, as long as my body cooperated. my bold goal was one year. as the months rolled by, we hit six months! yipeeeee! it was a good milestone for us. alright, i told myself. a year it is. it felt like a million years away at that point. well honestly, i thought hitting six months was a long time but a year? we will see!
a year rolled around and i found myself not ready to give it up and olive wasn’t ready either. i, for sure, wanted olive to make that decision for herself because as a nursing mom, i think i was attached to it more than her! ha!
i knew i was going on a trip in january to celebrate my sister’s big birthday and i said to myself…this is it. i am going to stop nursing! this trip will help me out because i was going to be without my babe for four days. while i was in l.a., i decreased the number of times i pumped. well, as soon as i came back, olive and i fell back into our usual routine.
i wondered a lot about when was it going to be the right time? i talked with other moms and a lot of them said when it happens, it happens and it will all fall into place. i felt like olive would never want to stop nursing. for months, i would try to change up the routine. i would wake her up and walk her into the living room {she would cry and sign for milk}, i would stay in her bedroom and try to play {she would cry and sign for milk}, i would try to go into the kitchen to distract her {she would cry and sign for milk}.
don’t get me wrong. i loved, loved, loved nursing her. it has always been our time, our special moment, our wonderful quiet time together. i enjoyed almost every second of it {except for when i would experience the pain…now that is a whole ‘nother story}. i think i loved it more than olive did! no joke!
well, that wednesday morning, i got her out of her crib and distracted her. i changed her diapy and then put her on the floor of her room to see what she would do. she stood up and walked over to her toys and started playing! whaaaaaa??!!! omygoodness. she didn’t cry for milk! i was mildly excited {i ran into the room and hid the boppy!}! i was very watchful and curious. after she roamed around for a bit, i started getting ready. she came over to our bedroom {where she nursed every single morning} and walked up to the bed and just leaned her head against it, staring lovingly at me. i just stared at her, for what seemed liked forever but was probably on a few minutes, and my heart felt sad. i was soooo sad. it was a great big millstone for both of us and i was the one who was shattered. oh, that moment where it no longer is and it’s a fact and you have to except it.
my baby was moving into her big girl chapter and it was so stinkin’ bittersweet for me. so, yes, that is how the story goes. the day olive gave up nursing at nineteen months. i am so proud to have gone this long and never giving up even when, at times, it was so incredibly painful. i never would have thought i would be such a strong advocate for breastfeeding. i mean, even when i was pregnant with olive {up to the eight month}, i wasn’t going to nurse her. i then changed my mind {i figured why refuse something i have never even tried?} and i am so glad i did…what an amazing journey i would have been missing out on!
each from that wednesday, we have changed her routine and every day, she has moved on happily without nursing. i am so happy to have let her choose what was best for her. any mom can make that decision for their babe, it’s easy, but to have your child make it for herself…it’s the best feeling in the world {besides, if it was left to me…i would probably nurse olive until she was eight…hahaha, just keeding}.
oh, i am still so sad over it but i now have a new found freedom! no more nursing, no more pumping, no more timelines and restrictions! hallelujah! i am free! i am free of it all! woot!
i am so happy to move onto the next wonderful chapter with my baby girl! cheers to that!
