Plethora of Everything

    When we moved to my hometown of Louisville, Ky. from Miami Beach, Fl     Everything was slightly blurred. And it wasn't because we went from from living in a tropical, warm, colorful oasis to a place that was dreary, overcast  and still in the dead of winter even though we got her in March (2014).      It was new life that had our lives in a confusing, love-filled haze-  we were new parents.     Our son was 6 weeks old when we moved here... for the undeniable benefits of family support and more stable job opportunities for my husband.       "Jess, you know your aunt Lisa has an old RAV sitting in their driveway and she said she'd like to give it to you," my Dad mentioned one afternoon shortly after we had moved to Louisville.     "Why?" I asked, "I don't expect anyone to give me a car Dad. Besides, I have my own car. I don't think I'd even feel comfortable accepting that." ...

Revised 01-10-18 Give in. Surrender. You're a mom and that's that. Your son is almost 3 years old. He is your full time job, more than that actually since your days begin around 8:30 a.m. and end around 11:30 p.m., with a 2 hour nap somewhere in the middle. And around 1:30 a.m. he wakes up every night to get in bed with you and doesn't allow room so much as to turn over comfortably. It's a lot of fun. Truly it is, sometimes. Sometimes it's not. Oftentimes you feel guilty. You feel guilty for trying to fold laundry, do dishes, prepare meals in between playing with your kid. You feel guilty for being distracted in your mind at times when you two are playing, thinking things like, "shit I've got to get dressed and get him dressed to get out the door by 11:00 a.m." Playing with him is the greatest but it's a challenge to not be distracted with other household duties when you two are playing. The household  chores never end . Sam napp...

    Every now and then this question hits me     And... "I wonder when I'll start working again and how I'll handle that transition?"  isn't merely a passing thought...  the subject tends to provoke somewhat a sense of panic for me.     When I think about going back to work I think of our mornings, Sam and I, being able to lay in my bed for an hour or so- he nurses, we snuggle and he watches videos on the ipad while I fully wake up... I know, it sounds like we're spoiled right ?          Well, anyone that has raised a child knows it's not all fun and games and sweet moments! The day gets pretty chaotic pretty quickly with a 21 month old in tow. -Sam loves making messes. He challenges me on most issues. He throws tantrums. All of that "fun stuff" is part of being a stay-at-home mom too.     That being said I wouldn't trade it for the world... or to drive a newer car , or to feel more financially sec...

Last May, when my son was just 4 months old...  I didn't even consider blogging about Mother's Day.      I was too new at motherhood to fathom doing anything that didn't revolve around my baby being in my arms and/or at my breast.      That's how I instinctively knew to mother an infant- pretty much never let him go! He nursed on demand which was every 1-2 hours and he preferred to be held by mommy in the early days, maybe because I held him all the time!      People tried to tell me that then but I thought they were crazy and unsympathetic to my plight of having a 'needy infant'.       Needy Infant...   Now I know those 2 words go together like hand in glove, butter and bread, poop and diapers... ok, you got the point!  Infants are needy.   They need to be needy to survive.  There's a '4th trimester' philosophy which states the first 3 months out of the mother's womb ar...

Be forewarned: this blog didn't turn out as I had anticipated. It's difficult to put something so intimate, special, simple yet complex, as nursing, into words.  For me- nursing is mothering in its utmost form. It hasn't always been easy; at first it was exasperating constantly having a little person attached to me but over time I came to cherish and treasure nursing.  It is the most amazing gift I can give my baby boy. It's giving all of me to him so that he can be his healthiest.  There's nothing more genuine than giving of one's own body to keep another alive.      Shortly after Samuel transitioned from his mother's womb to the bright, cold hospital room, he cried.     As with most newborn babies he began crying and could not be consoled as nurses clipped his umbilical cord and wiped him off.      He could not be consoled that is until he was placed on his mother's chest.     His mother had insisted the baby be...