Early this morning with the house still quiet, I sat in the sunroom and consciously nursed my baby girl for the last time. I say consciously because when I woke up this morning, I decided that today would be the day that I would officially stop breastfeeding. As I gazed down at my precious Murphy, I thought back to the last six months of our nursing journey.
A few days before Murphy was born, I told a friend that I was more scared of nursing than the epidural, c-section, or surgical recovery that laid ahead. I had a less than pleasant experience attempting to breastfeed Carter, and I was terrified of the immense pain and guilt that I was sure would be a part nursing my newborn. When Murphy was two days old, a nurse in my hospital room asked me if I was enjoying breastfeeding. With hot tears streaming down my face and postpartum hormones raging, I stoically replied, "I hate it." She softly suggested that I give up nursing, but in my mind, that wasn't an option I cared to entertain.

Admiring my new little love 

as she dozed with her tummy nice and full.

A week later, I sat on my back patio with a girlfriend who asked me how nursing was going. I calmly said, "It's going well, but I won't be doing it for long." At that point, each feeding session lasted at least an hour which was quite a challenge given that I often had a two year old climbing on my head while I tried to feed the baby. Additionally, though not as severe as it was with Carter, breastfeeding still hurt. A LOT. I randomly discovered that biting down on popsicles while feeding Murphy helped to relieve the pain, and during the first few weeks after she was born, I easily consumed over 50 popsicles.
At Murphy's two week check-up, I asked the pediatrician her thoughts on how long I should continue nursing. She said, "Do you not like it?" Again, I plainly said, "No." She suggested that I give myself the goal of two months and to take it day by day. When I left her office that day, I did decide that I would try my best to keep it up for two months. Over those two months, I had talks with many girlfriends who offered lots of tips and encouragement. (I learned that the excruciating feeling comparable to lightning shooting through my chest was actually a good thing and meant that I had plenty of milk for baby girl.) Nursing sessions began to last 15-20 minutes as Murphy was able to stay awake longer and became a much more efficient eater.
Those two months came and went, and I actually stopped dreading nursing sessions. It was easy to leave the house with only a diaper in my purse; no need to pack bottles, formula, bibs, etc... Middle of the night feeding was such a breeze, as I could just reach over to Murphy's Moses basket, pick her up, and feed her; no stumbling through the dark house into the kitchen to make a bottle. By the time Murphy turned three months old, not only did I not dread nursing I actually began to enjoy it which is something I honestly never thought could have happened.
As time continued to pass, I was mindful of the fact that my hubby and I would be traveling to Jamaica for a dear friend's wedding just after Murphy's six month birthday. In preparation for being away from the babe, I began working with her to take a bottle. She had absolutely no interest in a bottle, so I had to go as far as to conduct what I coined as 'Bottle Boot Camp' which entailed me leaving her with a sitter all day with only the bottle as her food option. She used this opportunity to display her strongest resolve and refused to eat for almost ten hours. Fortunately, on the first day of our trip, she finally conceded and began to drink both breast milk and formula from bottles in my absence.

Happy with my Hubby at the rehearsal dinner

in Jamaica... between pumpings!

During the trip, I carried both a double electric pump and a manual hand pump with me on the plane. I pumped in airport bathrooms, airplane bathrooms, our fancy schmancy villa, and a random room at the wedding reception. I pumped. And pumped. And pumped; all in an effort to maintain my milk supply so that I could seamlessly continue nursing when I returned home. Despite my best efforts, my milk supply dropped. And dropped. And dropped. By the Monday night when we returned to Denver, I was scarcely able to pump 1/2 an ounce of breastmilk.

When Murphy girl woke up on Tuesday morning, I went upstairs to get her up and feed her. I was so thrilled at how she immediately turned to me to nurse her, despite the fact that I had been gone for five days. However, she only nursed for a couple minutes and then began to cry. Reluctant and sad, I walked downstairs, made her a bottle of formula, and watched as she gulped down seven ounces. Yesterday was a tough day; I nearly burst into tears just selecting which formula I should buy at Costco, and I did cry when my husband fed her a bottle at bedtime. This was the first night, ever, that I had not nursed her before laying her down for the night.
So, this is why I made a conscious decision this morning to nurse Murphy one last time today. I wanted to feel like I was making this choice, rather than having my body make it for me. Of course, I was only able to feed her for about five minutes, but I used that time to deliberately enjoy the experience. I whispered to my sweet angel how much I had loved our special bonding time, and that I would so greatly miss it. I told her that it was my love for her that lead me to push few those first few difficult months, and I thanked her for helping me to realize my own strength.

Murphy Girl today...

her sweet eyes are my comfort.

Now for the Non-Things

After my last post, I got to thinking... if folks I don't actually know in real life take a peek at my bloggity blog, they may think that I care an awful lot about material things. And, though I really do enjoy coming across new stuff that makes my life a tad easier or a bit more fun, my most beloved things aren't really things at all. They are the non-tangibles that make my life a life.

Here you have my Favorite Non-Thing, Things, of 2011, Q1...

1. Girl Talks... now and again, a girl just needs another girl... to vent to, to laugh with, and to take walks down memory lane and make predictions about the future. In the early months of this year, I've had many chances to do just that with girlfriends old and new.  I sat in a bookstore and caught up with my best friend from high shchool while our kids ran wild and ransacked the store. I enjoyed an afternoon chat on the back porch of my best friend from college while our kids had a ball just getting to know each other. I sat by a cozy fireplace in Beaver Creek catching up with an expectant first time mom from Dallas and giving her my best tips for the months that lie ahead. From phone calls across the country to visits in my own backyard to a booth at Chick-fil-a, I have loved time spent with all the great gals in my life!
2. Laughing at/with Pookie... I get it. Every parent thinks his/her kid is funny. But, in my case, I think that my child is the funniest human being on the face of the planet. She makes me laugh. Every. Single. Day. Of course, there are far too many hilarious quips to share, but two in particular do stand out. Mommy: "Carter, I need to talk to you about why you were naughty to Daddy in the bathtub last night." Carter: "I don't want to talk about it. I won't do it again. I'm sorry," followed by a BIG hug and kiss. The kid is learning brevity, and that's something I can appreciate! On one of our first warm days this season, Pooks was playing out in the backyard when she realized that she needed to go potty. She ran inside, got her froggy potty, and carried it to the backyard. She sat down on it, and then promptly asked me for "a little privacy." The idea that she wanted privacy despite being in the middle of the backyard completely cracked me up. 
3. Loving on My Littlest Love... my Murphy Girl is what you might call a 'lap baby'. What can I say; the kid wants to be held! Every now and again, it does get difficult when I'm trying to do something, like make dinner or use the bathroom for example, but overall I just love having a snuggle bunny for a baby! There is no greater feeling than when she takes a pause from nursing to look up at me with her bright eyes, sweet smile, and precious little squeal. On hectic days, I try to remember that plenty of times lie ahead in which she will not want to be cuddled in Mommy's arms. Murphy melts my heart in an indescribable way!
4. Grown-up Time with My Honey... despite the fact that we have two dogs, two small children, and one busy life, Hubby and I manage to get a fair amount of alone time in. We escaped to the mountains for a weekend (Murphy Girl did tag along, but having just one kiddo in the backseat feels like a real treat!), tried out a couple new restaurants (Fruition was delish!), and snuck in a weekday lunch date. Without question, celebrating our five year wedding anniversary on March 25 was the sweetest thing! As a present for my hubby, I made a 'mix tape' of all of the songs that remind me of 'us'. Putting it together was such a beautiful, nostalgic trip down memory lane. (As an aside, I-tunes makes such a gesture much easier than it was circa 1993!)
5. This... since my first entry on New Year's Eve, blogging has become such a wonderful, creative outlet for me. I enjoy thinking about my next blog, mapping it out, and then getting my thoughts into print. I have always enjoyed writing, and it feels so good to be doing it again. I also like the fact that I have cut myself a little slack by trying not to obsess about perfect grammar or even consider what others will think of what they are reading. As I hoped it would be, I love that The Salad Days is mine. All mine. 

Without a doubt, my Favorite Non-Thing, Things provide me with an infinite amount of joy and fulfillment that no thing ever could. 

Favorite Things, Q1

Late last year, I compiled a list of my ten favorite things of 2010. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that, though it is only April, I already have a list for 2011! Since my hubby tends to think of things in quarters in his world, I've decided that my favorites things list will be a quarterly report.

So, below are my Favorite Seven Things of 2011, Q1...

1. Nifty Label Maker... holy moly! As an organizational freak, I have no idea how I have lived without this item! Though I had wanted one for awhile, its purchase became non-optional after my in-laws visited and filled our home with beau-coups of new, early birthday toys for Pookie. I had SO. MUCH. FUN. reorganizing our playroom. I conserved lots of space by eliminating all boxes and storing toys in ziplock baggies. I labeled each bag and created a system for easily identifiying the shelf or basket where each thing belongs. After all the playroom fun, I made labels for all of Pookie's jackets, her backpack, and her lunch box as well as all of her art project supplies. Brothers Label Maker
2. Gel Manis... I have a terrible habit of peeling off nail polish, so I haven't had a manicure in years. (Why would I pay for something that I am going to personally destroy in days?) When a girlfriend of mine told me about this new type of manicure that lasts two weeks (three for me!), dries almost instantly, and doesn't chip, I was totally game. Not only do my nails look nice and pretty, but I also get in a little "me" time every couple weeks! Gel Manicure at 5th Avenue Nails
3. Darling New Drawer Pulls... after spending nearly a year searching, I finally found the perfect bedside tables on sale at a lamp shop last December. Despite loving the unique silver finish, I was still disappointed in the office-looking bright silver drawer pulls that came on them. When I came across these adorable round pulls at Anthropologie, I knew they would be the perfect compliment to the tables. I opted to mix and match two yellow, two red, and two purple pulls since each table has three drawers. I love how a tiny change can completely transform a piece of furniture! Anthropologie Prismatic Spring Drawer Pulls
4. Patagonia Zip-Up Fleece... this item is doubly-good because it was free! Every year when my hubby's company has their annual meeting, they get some type of jacket monogrammed with the company logo, and as a spouse, I get to reap the benefit! This year's cozy comfy style was especially a winner! I wore it, literally, every day for at least two weeks after I got it (with the occasional washing, of course.) Thank you, Excellere Partners! Black Patagonia Fleece
5. Whirlpool Duet Pedastal Drawers... if there's one thing I like even more than shopping, it's finding a great deal; and that's just what happened with this purchase. I have loved my Whirlpool Duet washer and dryer since we purchased them back in 2006 and have only slightly regretted not heeding the salesman's advice and buying the accompanying pedastals. Paying an additional $500+ dollars at the time just to have the washer and dryer be a little higher seemed ridiculous to me. However, while perusing a local store that was going out of business, I saw the pedastals for less than 1/3 of the original price and grabbed up the last pair. I am loving how much easier they make the mundane act of laundry, and the huge drawers for extra storage is an added bonus. Whirlpool Pedastals
6. The IPad... my electronic angel. Before you judge me for giving a tablet a title equal to that of a miraculous, spiritual being, please take a gander at the story of my traveling nightmare from February. Does it seem a little silly that my almost three year old has an IPad? Sure. Do I care? Not at all. The IPad
7. My Sperry Topsiders... since Colorado has been teasing us with the occasional taste of spring, I decided it was time to move the winter boots to the back of the closet and find some good every day shoes. I've always been a little skeptical of the Sperry, not sure they were me. Too preppy perhaps? Well, armed with my 20% off coupon, I picked up a pair at J. Crew; and I couldn't be happier. I love how they are comfy like a sneaker but cute enough to look like I'm actually wearing them as part of my outfit. Sperry Topsider

There you have it. My top Seven Favorite Things of 2011, Q1.

(Why seven? Because it's too early in the year for ten; I couldn't narrow it to five; and seven is my favorite number!)