One Month Update

Little miss Hope is 1 month and 4 days old today :) And this month has been the best month of mine and JP's lives...

Hope is about 8lbs something ounces, i will find out exactly today when we see my lactation consultant. I am exclusively breastfeeding Hope. Never has she tasted a drop of formula. I see a lactation consultant because when we started breastfeeding I was in a lot of physical pain from it and was given whats called a nipple shield. It basically protects them and allows them to heal. Well im completely healed and have been for a while, but now the problem is I cant get this little girl to eat without it! She is addicted and I am so sick of using it now lol... So we are working on weaning her from it but if she doesn't for a while that is fine. Whats important is that she is gaining weight and is eating which she definitely is... I have actually become obsessed with breastfeeding... I love it so much. I love the closeness, hearing her cute little noises, seeing how excited she gets when she is about to eat. I love all the benefits including: preventing many types of childhood illness, allergies, asthma, child obesity, it gives better brain development, they have higher IQ's, it decreases SIDS risk and many more benefits. It goes on and on. It is my GOAL to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and then we will introduce organic solids. However I still want to breastfeed until she is about two and a half to three years old if she doesn't wean herself... Crossing my fingers. If she does wean herself for whatever reason I have been working on a huge freezer supply of breast milk and it is going awesome! I know formula is not the enemy but it is just not something I want to give her God willing. If we did have to go to formula for whatever reason I would get over it of course. Sometimes things don't work out with breastfeeding and that is what formula is there for. Every day I am able to breastfeed her I am so thankful because I have many friends who weren't able to do it very long for numerous reasons. In those cases formula is anything but the enemy but their childrens life saver!

She is very strong and has been lifting her head up on her own since she was about 5 days old and now she can hold it up for a very long time before she gets tired. She is smiling and is cooing "talking to us". She has the biggest brightest eyes and just loves to look around at the paintings on the wall and gaze into our eyes. She is just so amazing. She has hit every milestone for the two month old age and is even completing some three month milestones! I think its because of the super food, breast milk ;)

I never thought I would be such a "crunchy" mama. Crunchy meaning kind of granola...lol. Breastfeeding, Co Sleeping, Baby Wearing and when we get our house (which is close to happening) i will start cloth diapering her. So in summary Hope is doing absolutely awesome. She is growing and changing every day and we are so enjoying this ride!