Don't you think it's time he weaned?

I've been hearing this more than ever lately! Sami turns 3 in April and yes, I still breastfeed him!! So many people think it is their right to tell me I should be stopping. I love how these same people think breastfeeding is such a "private" thing that it should be hidden away and locked up behind bathroom doors. *rolls eyes* Yet, these same people think it's fine to interject their opinions on my nursing relationships with my children.

Now, I'd be lying if I told you I never wished he'd wean. He IS almost three, and.. Have you seen the size of my kids head? It's like a grown man nursing! ha ha. okay, not really , but you catch my drift! Three years is a long time to nurse a kid. But there is nothing "wrong" about it.. And when people criticize the fact that he still nurses, it implies there is something wrong with it. And that isn't fair. Most people wouldn't dream of criticizing many mainstream parenting choices. But anything that goes outside of the norm is "weird" or "wrong".. Yet.. If these people took a moment to do some research they'd realize it's just our country that is out of the norm. It's us as a whole who is wrong.

I try not to get defensive when someone tells me I should wean my son... I try to use it as an opportunity to educate. To let people know the benefits of extended breastfeeding. To let them know it's okay. I'm not harming myself or my child. I've built a bond between us that can never be broken. I hope I've done that for all of my children, and will continue to do so with gentle parenting. With making educated choices for them and myself. Not doing something because a doctor tells me I should, but because I researched it and I feel like it's best for them. I am their mother after all... Right? Isn't there truth to the saying "Mother knows best". I think there is. Especially a mother such as myself who has armed herself with as much knowledge as possible from as many resources as possible!

Tandem nursing Mothers and mothers nursing toddlers shouldn't be made to feel they have to hide.... They should be celebrated. Applauded. Because I promise you. Extended nursing and tandem nursing is NOT easy. It has days where it's overwhelming and frustrating. So instead of criticizing us... Give us a pat on the back. Because I can guarantee it would be greatly appreciated! After all... We really are just doing our best!

Guess I should update huh?

So I've enlisted the help of some pictures to update everyone on where I've been.. Hmmm. With the nice weather around we spend a lot of time at the park and on playdates! After an entire winter of being trapped inside, we were all anxious to get outside and enjoy the SUNSHINE! We even do a picnic lunch out on our deck most days. The kids love this.

There are Nadia and Sami's crafting projects! They love to do them. And I've found "The Christmas Tree Shops" has some very cute crafts that are really reasonable prices! Nadia's also been working on her reading and writing. She's doing beautifully, I'm so proud of her. Her determination to learn is amazing. She certainly got this from her father LOL. After consulting with Nadia's pediatrician they felt Nadia would do best in Kindergarten. (She misses the cutoff date) And she suggested we fight the school to get her early entrance. They had tested Nadia and found cognitively, she functioned at the level of a 6 year old. So putting her back in pre-k really became something that wasn't an option for her. The school pretended to entertain us, but really I think they had no intentions of even entertaining the idea. At any rate, we got our answer "no" and moved along to private schools. I spent much of the end of April looking for a school that would suit her. We found one not far from our home that we liked. So she's enrolled and ready to go to Kindergarten! Woo! And she gets to wear a cute little uniform! So what beats that!?

Ahh MOTHERS DAY! How fantastic was that? The kids ALL slept until 8. Which really is amazing because none of them have EVER done that in their entire lives! Let alone all 3 of them at once! It was a great treat.. Hubby got a serger for me from them which I was SUPER excited about!! (A serger is a type of sewing machine!) Nadia made me that beautiful pot you see above with the lovely flowers. It brought tears, I am not going to lie. lol. The poem was precious and my kids and husband made me feel very special and appreciated. It was a wonderful day!

Mrs Meerkitty! She's doing GREAT! 4 and a half months now! I can't believe it. She's so beautiful and I'm so head over heels in love with her! She is a fantastic little baby and ever so cute. I love being her Mom and I feel so lucky to hold that title! She's a great little nurser and growing wonderfully! I'm still nursing Sami too. The tandem Nursing is going fine. It can be tiresome on certain days, but I have always committed to doing what's best for them, and not for me! So I continue. And I wouldn't have it any other way. If I ever feel weary, all I need to do is look at their precious little faces, and that's all the encouragement I need to continue on with what I'm doing!

I had my hair cut! As you can see!!! It was WAY too long (Even thougH I love my long hair!) I really needed to part with it. Just too hard to maintain with so many children to take care of LOL. I went to my cousin's salon (pink comb salon) www.pinkcombsalon.com in Nutley NJ. And as you can see- She did an AWESOME job, evening out my color and giving me a bit of a style! IT's fantastic! I will definitely be going back to her in the future. Not that I didn't know my cousin was awesome, but my Mom is also a hair stylist so she is the only person who's ever really cut my hair. But she lives in Florida now so it really was about time to find someone else!

We are leaving on our first vacation of the year shortly. We're going to Ocean City Maryland for a week! Anyone familiar with the area? Any good tips of where I should hit up? The kids and my husband are SO looking forward to this!!! Which makes me excited as well. I really need to start on my list of things to pack for everyone since I'm the sole person in charge of this! It's a bit overwhelming. Esp to have to pack for an entire week! Our other vacation is in November. to Disney- The kids and I are SUPER excited for that one! Disney was my favorite place growing up! I used to go 1 or 2 times every year until I was 18!! And I hold such good memories from my trips there!

That's about all that's going on here. I will try and update more regularly!

So I was asked today...

Not just today actually... Lately a lot of people have been asking Husam and I if we're "done" having kids... I can't answer yes or no. I don't know. I thought for SURE after Samirah that was it for us. But neither of us can say with any certainty that we are done...
For one. I LOVE being pregnant. Despite the severe morning sickness lol. With Nadia I only had morning sickness from 6 to 10 weeks. I threw up maybe 10 times a day though. It was TERRIBLE I could barely keep anything down at all. But my boss at the time said what a happy pregnant woman I was despite constantly barfing my brains out. And he was right_ I was absoloutely glowing. Inside and out. I loved every moment of her pregnancy! I worked 50-60 hours a week right up until I had her. My last day of work was that Friday and I went into labor that Sunday. And I would have been at work Monday had I not gone into labor LOLMy pregnancy with Sami was wonderful as well. I now had my little toddler keeping me busy at home but I was able to rest more not running to and from work and being busy with that. Granted I had Nadia to care for and the house and Husam. But I could lie down on the couch for a few minutes if I needed to! I had morning sickness with Sami for five SOLID months. I threw up at least twice a day. Everyday. LoL It was definitely trying at moments! I remember leaning over the toilet throwing up and Nadia coming in and pulling back my hair telling me "It's okay mommy, I will take care of you" LoL. That always made me smile. My little care taker Nadia. The end of Sami's pregnancy was trying. He was a very big boy! 8lbs 10 oz at birth! And that gave me some back/pelvic/hip issues. but I still loved being pregnant!!!
Samirah's pregnancy went so fast! I had morning sickness for five months with her too, but I would only throw up maybe once a day, and I'd even get a day here and there where I didn't throw up at all!! Her pregnancy went very smoothly after that though! Until the fall down the stairs that injured my tailbone I was in constant pain after that- Esp having to chase after Sami and Nadia!! Samirah was also a bigger baby (8lbs 3 oz at birth) But believe it or not despite all that I still LOVED being pregnant with her!!!!!!!!!!So for me to say - Yes I'm done.. It just wouldn't make sense. I LOVE being a Mother. I LOVE being pregnant. Heck- I even LOVE giving birth!!! All of these things have been some of the most AMAZING experiences of my LIFE!!! I can't say for sure that I'm done. That I will close that book. I just can't. If Samirah is it, I'm blessed, and happy with my family. But if God decides to throw another blessing our way, I would feel truly happy about that as well!!
So. Everything else is going well. Mrs Meerkat is a champion nurser and Sami has become a little better about sharing the Nur with his sister lol.. Tandem nursing is fine for us. It really works out. Sami knows that he still can so he asks less. On a usual day he only nurses 3 times now. But he certainly has days where he is upset or just "off" and he nurses more often. I am lucky to be very supported by my husband about the Tandem nursing because I know everyone doesn't understand it. *Including most of our family* But I've never been one to let others dictate what is best for my children lol.
We had a fabulous photoshoot for Samirah!!! I did the photoshoot myself. But I really love how the pics came out!!! I'm going to share them with you all! I also have pictures of Sami's new Race Car bed that his father and I bought him for his 2nd birthday! (Not until April 11th but he was climbing out of his crib so we had to get it now!)There is my update!! I just want to share the pictures!

My Kiddos and my Awesome cuz!!

Sami and his race car bed!!! His big sissy was also excited for him! My kids are so good to each other!! (Most of the time! lol)

Still working...

On getting my birth story from Samirah written up.. It's slow going around here lately with lots and lots going on!!

However- There is another subject that is near and dear to my heart that I'd like to blog about! BREASTFEEDING! WOo! Who else besides me could be so passionate about the subject? It's my dream to become a lactation consultant when I'm done having children and they are all grown.. I will get there one day! Right now my most important place is in the home. But I do everything I can for breastfeeding advocacy. I'm a paid up member of LLL and I attend meetings regularly .. I've found a lot of support there where others have turned me away. Such as my doctors. I really feel the medical community fails us as women in this area.. Not only this area... But especially this area.. (As well as the big to do they make about giving birth which is a natural thing) That's a whole other blog though!!

I currently nurse my 22 month old son and my 1 month old daughter. I fully believe on nursing until 2 years (The WHO's reccomendation) and as long after that as mother and child mutually desire. There are so many health benefits to mother and child why WOULDN'T you nurse?!?!?! Cancer risks reduced in mother and child, fewer ear infections (My first little one just had her first ear infection and she's 4!!) There are so many health benefits the list could go on and on- But you could google that and see over and over again breast is undisputed the best for every baby.

When I got pregnant with Samirah there wasn't a doubt in my mind I'd continue to nurse Sami.. Her pregnancy was my first "surprise" I never got a period back so I assumed my fertility hadn't returned. But 1 month after Sami turned 1 I had feelings that I could be pregnant _ And I was :-D A wonderful surprise- But I was commited to continuing to nurse Sami. For the first 5 months of my pregnancy it was easy and FINE! No problems. Around 6 months I was bigger, more tired, and more sensitive and it got tougher. But I promised myself and him I would carry on.. Now.. IT was at one of my LLL meetings another mother suggested setting boundries when I expressed how exhausted I was and sometimes I just wanted to say NO but felt so guilty. Setting boundries allowed me to continue nursing all the way to delivery day!!

I nursed Sami before I went to the hospital. I was having contractions and I knew that was "it" ..I went to the hospital THursday night after I nursed Sami and put him to bed for the night. Samirah was born Friday morning at 2:15 am. I missed Sami so bad and I felt awful leaving him all day Friday without me. It was the first time we were ever apart. So first thing Saturday morning I asked my midwife to discharge me a day early. I had a completely natural water birth so of course there were no problems with me going home early which was wonderful.

I anticipated seeing Sam the whole drive home! He was waiting at the window for me and I could see his excitement! I walked through the door and we hugged and we were both thinking the same thing "NUR NUR MA!" he said. I said you betcha! We sat right there on the living room floor and nursed!!

Now I have an awesome nursing relationship going on.. It can be tiring at times.. But are my kids worth it?? You bet!!!!

What are YOUR thoughts on the subject of extended and/or tandem nursing?