...but he's not even hungry?!?!

As I sit here writing this, my breast pump hating son is attempting to sabotage my current session. He's unsuccessfully gone for the tubing, the wall plug & lastly has tried pulling himself into my lap to replace his little mouth for one of my Medela contraptions.

I get it GQ. You don't like it when I pump. The kicker is, that I nursed him before I started pumping as to ensure this wouldn't happen...wrong! I've managed to successfully extract 5 golden ounces to be stored for a later date, but sheesh! I feel like I just ran a marathon.

It's taken him almost eight months to build up this hatred. He must think it's stealing his milk. Where does he think it all goes? Doesn't he know that I'm stocking up for the Winter (literally?) Poor kid. He's quietly nestled back in my lap, rightfully staking his claim on what's been his all along!

...but he's not even hungry?!?!

I'm crunchy & I know it.

A funny thing about motherhood (there's a ton of humor when you learn to laugh at yourself & your newfound life) is that you have no idea what type of mom you're going to be until you actually are one. Actually, that isn't completely true...for example: when I discovered I was pregnant, I knew that would I breastfeed my baby; but what I didn't know was how passionate I would be on the issue of normalizing breastfeeding and how comfortable I would be with nursing in public. I am truly grateful for the ability to nourish my son (GQ) whenever he needs me to and I'm even more grateful for the confidence to nurse him wherever he deems it necessary. 

But breastfeeding is only one piece. All of the other contributing factors to my crunchiness evolved into mainstays in my parenting style through my journey as a nanny, over the course of my pregnancy & during the first few weeks of GQ's life. I also read endless books and gleaned various bits and pieces of information from many of them, all resulting in my own crunchy concoction. As for my parenting partner, I'm very fortunate that my best friend (who also happens to be my fiancé and GQ's daddy) is an extremely open-minded and supportive man, allowing all of this to simply "be." Lucky is the woman who has a man like mine. 

Never, not in a million years, did I ever think I would be described as a "crunchy mama," BUT I'm proud to say that's exactly what I am. Who knew that being a cloth diapering, babywearing, exclusively breastfeeding, co-sleeping, baltic amber wearing, baby-led weaning, attachment parenting mommy makes you crunchy?...and here I thought I was merely making the best choices I could make for GQ and our new family. Shows you what I know. 

And now for the real reason I'm bringing all of this to light...

Please. Stop. Judging. Other. Parents.

(And stop letting yourself be judged!!)

Being a parent is hard enough without feeling like it's a competition. What one parent does for their child may not be what you do for yours, but that doesn't make them any better or worse than you. Relax. Love and raise your child(ren) the best way you know how. The parent who uses disposables and formula, while letting their child cry it out in a stroller is no better (or worse) than the parent who is breastfeeding their cloth diapered child while wearing them in a carrier. They're simply different. 

With that being said...I absolutely love being a mom and look forward to each day with wonder and excitement now that GQ is in my life. I hope that the decisions I'm making on his behalf help mold him into the amazing person I know he will become and never detract from the amazing human being he already is.

When in doubt...

blog it out!

"Learning As He Grows" is my chosen outlet to vent, share and document my journey as I find myself about to embark on yet another exciting chapter in my life. I've decided to go back to school in the Fall to be an R.N. Sounds simple enough...right? It's only 2 years and I've attended college before, but I'm also currently planning my Spring wedding (May 2014) and busy living each day to its fullest in order to be the best mommy I can be to my almost eight month old son. What's the worst that can happen? I'm confident that with the support of my family and friends and a dash of humor, this will be another fun-filled chapter.

So here I go...