The Good Letdown: It's Not a Club!

I happen to follow this breastfeeding blog just for some inside tips and commonalities that we milk mommas share.  Mind you, the majority of the time it deals with things that I am not interested in such as tandem feeding (ie nursing a newborn and an older child at the same time), and the benefits of nursing till the child goes to school.  Not my literal cup of tea, but to each their own.  Yet this past blog has really stuck with me.  Not so much that all of my mommy friends are breastfeeders, but some of the points she makes certainly make sense.  It is easier to relate to someone as a mother when they breastfeed their child as well.  You do not feel awkward pulling out the hooter-hider and feeding your child while having a conversation with this person. Other nursing moms are a wealth of information and support when things can get tricky even months past the early tough days!
 I really like her position on the unspoken guilt that some moms feel when confronted by another mom who did not have good luck with nursing and feels threatened by how well it is going for me. SO TRUE.  Parenthood is full of MANY unknowns and each and every one of us will rightfully question how well they are doing by using their peers as a barometer.  It is only natural for someone who is struggling with breastfeeding or conception, to postpartum weight loss, or organization of life to throw a shady eye your way.  We just need to have those supportive friends to fall back on when you might feel a tad guilty for what you are doing. Because you should never feel guilty when you are doing what is best for you and your child. 
Thanks Megz for the boost of confidence! 
The Good Letdown: It's Not a Club!: "Most of my friends are breast-feeders, it's true, and with the recent relocation to south-central Indiana, I'm seeking out women who breastf..."

"With great power comes great responsibility"

I find that my life is now lived in between napping schedules.  I know, I know, I swore I would NOT be the person who had the rigid nap schedules and that was chained to their house during certain times, but hey what did I know? This has been uncharted territory thus far and what I want and what really happens are two different ballgames.  There are two tiny windows of opportunity in the day. One lies between the morning nap and lunchtime, and the other is from 3 till about 5:30.  Both are small segments in the whole of a day, especially if you are trying to cram in all your days' errands in those tiny time frames.  And as mentioned before, the prep to leave the house takes a chunk of the pie out.  Yet, as I write this I feel that I have become that overzealous parent that I was afraid of!  What really will happen if we miss a nap? Will the world tilt on its axis differently?  Will the locusts take flight once again? No.  The baby will be a crying mess come 5pm but when that is the case, it really doesn't seem like it is the end of the world. 
 Yet there is that dang thing called responsibility.  I am in essence in charge of the way that the day pans out for my son which is wicked amounts of power.  So is it fair to have him become a sobby mess by the end of the day because I needed to drop the books off at the library and go to the store during a time that was convenient for me?  When faced with that dilemma, I feel super guilty about dragging him out of his bed and off of the sacred routine. I love my stroller aerobics class, but it falls at 10 am, right in the middle of nap time.  I used to drag him there 2-3 times a week where he would miss his nap,and literally be thrown off the rest of the day.  Did it really matter to him? Not so much, he was tired and didn't know why.  But there I was, surrounded by this swarming guilt that I caused him to be cranky because I wanted to work out during that certain time. He would seem to look at me come 4:30 with his tired red eyes like why am I so stinkin tired momma? And there she goes, the guilt blanket resides on my shoulders.  As I have watched many a makeover show about women who lose themselves while being a mom, I stoutly told myself that I would not do that.  And to credit myself I do feel that I have done a good job so far as I have fallen back into my other love, running.  Yet, there are times when I am running during the hottest part of the day as it is more conducive to nap time.  We all have to make a compromise when it comes to parenting, I am choosing not to lose myself and to embrace my new role simultaneously. 

I guess lack of bumpers are a good thing..