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Playgroup at Erin's. Yay, here's a picture of me and Leila. I always capture the cutest pictures of Eric playing with Leila. But how many pictures do you think I have of the two of us? Oh, I'd say a handful of good ones. Our husbands are always in the photos but no one takes pictures of us with our babes (unless I beg), so Wednesday's will be mommy/baby picture day. Erin kindly took this picture of me and Leila...I didn't even have to ask her. Thanks Erin!

Leila and Jadie playing together. Leila is trying to give Jadie a hug. So cute.

Bella wants to know why she can't sit up like the other girls. She wants to be a big girl too.

Babies love other babies...probably because they are their same size. Leila loves other playing with her little friends and I love seeing her interact with them. 

Today was freezing, it was 8 degrees out. The 4 of us mom's can't wait for Spring and Summer to roll around so we can take our babe's out for walks during our Wednesday playgroup. We will live at the pool in the summer so I've gotta start working on  my beach body. We all want to lose at least 10 lbs...golds gym at 5 am here we come. Right ERIN and Natalie?!?!?

*gag*

*yuck*

  These pictures just crack me up...her facial expressions are priceless! I started solids shortly after 6 months. First rice cereal, then homemade green beans, then peas. She dislikes them all and refuses to eat. She probably just gets just one or two licks in. I've been getting down on myself lately because little miss Leila is a nursing snob and doesn't like the bottle, formula, or solids and I don't know what to do! I thought she was the most stubborn little girl on the planet, until tonight!! I found the trick, it's letting her feed herself! Let's rewind a bit...For the first two months of her life I pumped strictly - well about 70% of the time (let's just say my tata's had a rough time adjusting...cracks, bleeding, need I say more?).  

Leila also cried at my breast in the beginning, my mom said it's like my boob was a monster because the second I whipped it out she not only cried, she screamed. So I did what was best for my daughter and pumped. I hated pumping and washing bottles because I feel like that's all I did everyday. Feed, pump, wash, repeat. At 2 months I couldn't take it anymore, I just wanted to nurse my little girl full time and was so envious of the mom's that could. I wasn't going to give up so I stopped pumping and nursed for a week straight. I cringed my toes every time I nursed. Slowly, things started getting better.

A week later we were back in the game and life has been great ever since. No more pumping. I love nursing so much because its more than breastfeeding. I love having her in my arms and snuggled alongside me... I have a strong bond that no one else can share with my daughter. Hands down it's my favorite part of being a mother. And its so much easier than bottle feeding, you don't have to worry about packing anything or having warm water. 

I love nursing so much I never want to pump again. So I don't. Leila is so used to nursing she no longer takes a bottle. We tried but I'm so happy breastfeeding that I don't care...until we want a date night or grandma and grandpa want to babysit. Feeding her a bottle is, at minimum, a 30 min ordeal! Luckily, I have the greatest mother in law ever who's willing to work with a screaming baby. She worked her magic and can now take a bottle, if she's in the mood.

Now, at almost 7 months, Leila still strongly dislikes the bottle and only wants my boobie. This is a problem because, as of last week, I'm sadly loosing my milk supply! I've always taken fenugreek to keep my milk supply up. I have to constantly be drinking water and eating plenty of food too (that doesn't help with shedding the last couple pounds, but its worth it to me to keep those extra pounds so I can breastfeed). I'm really sad about this because I wanted to nurse for a year, but 7 months isn't the end of the world I guess. Last week after I nursed her before bed she was fussy, I thought she still might be hungry because I was feeling low. I made her a bottle and she drank 3 ounces, she usually drinks 4 from a bottle (she doesn't eat very much). So that poor baby was still hungry. Every day since then I have been supplementing with formula for at least one feeding a day. My milk supply isn't gone yet but every day I feel like its lessening. I'm just not producing enough and I don't really have the desire to pump after each feeding. I feel like its so much work to keep my milk supply up that I'm just going to let it go on its own. I'll still take fenugreek and nurse her as often as I can but my milk isn't cutting it for her. She is a growing baby and as long as she is getting the nutrition she needs, thats whats important. 

Wow, all that came out of those 2 pictures! Ok, back to the photos. Leila really hates solids. When she sees me even preparing her food she gets antsy and starts zipping her mouth shut. I start to put the spoon toward her and she pulls away before it even touches her mouth. I try to feed her a little something everyday even though she only gets a lick in. Tonight was no different...

until...

she tried to grab for the spoon. I let her have it and she started to put the spoon in her mouth. WHAT? Did I just witness a miracle? She is feeding herself? I couldn't believe my eyes, that spoon was going in her mouth and she was eating those peas! I let her have at it and get it everywhere as long as she was happy and was interested in eating. I was such a proud mama tonight. She is such a smart girl. 

Every meal time we sit her on the table in her bumbo so she can join us for breakfast/lunch/dinner (if she's awake) and she watches us eat...watches us feed ourselves. Apparently she wants to feed herself too and after watching us day in and day out she can do it on her own. She is just growing too fast. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant and now I have a 6 month old (almost 7 in about a week) who can feed herself? Wow, how time flies. 

Gosh, I didn't intend for this to be such a long post but I just got caught up in the moment and couldn't stop typing. No one really cares about this anyway, it's more for my records because I know I'll want to read back on this when I turn my blog into a book. Eric just made a sly remark, "quit talking so much Cynthia". Ok, I'm going to pay attention to my hubs now. Goodnight!