I get a lot of questions about "milking babies" from Sammy. He could probably get a job with La Leche League by now. Anyway, somehow we got on the subject of cheese, and we wondered if anyone has ever made breastmilk cheese (or as he says, "Mommy milk cheese")? A quick google search returned these sites and 973,000 others:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-09/breast-milk-cheese/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/01/18/deliciously-creamy-the-world-of-breast-milk-cheese/
http://gothamist.com/2010/03/10/breast_milk_cheese_day_3.php
So would you try it?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Baby Fever?!
I am done having babies. Let me repeat. I am done having babies. I have three boys who are my entire universe, and they are quite enough. I have my hands full (as every old lady I come across in the grocery store loves to tell me), and no, we will not be "trying for a girl next." I feel like my time and energy and sanity would be stretched too thin if we added more children to the mix. I am already half-crazy, and my house is never as clean as it could be. Selfishly, I want do things with my life that will be much easier once our children are older - take a vacation just with my husband, go back to school, read a book that's longer than Goodnight Moon, or be responsible for brushing only my own teeth. If I keep having babies, then I will never get to that phase of life.
So can someone please explain just what the heck is going on with me? Today, while browsing Facebook, a friend's status update proclaimed that she was in labor. I was so excited for her on this momentous day in her life, but I was also so jealous that I'll never experience labor and birth again (if you think I'm crazy for saying this, please read one of my previous PregTASTIC blogs called Birth Junkie).
Yesterday I talked to one of my pregnant sisters (I have two!), who had just returned home from her baby shower. Her excitement and anticipation about becoming a mom was so touching, and I think I might be even more excited about her impending motherhood than she is. Then I though about the fact that I'll never be pregnant again, and that my days of having my own sweet baby are numbered. I looked at Caleb and thought that he looked huge, not really like a newborn anymore at all. I actually smelled him to make sure he still smelled babyish. Then I panicked because I realized that eventually I'll have to wean him (I cannot bring myself to think about that sad day yet), and that someday soon he's going to roll over. Then the next thing I know, he'll be packing for college. And then I think I actually felt my uterus cringe.
WHAT?! I have a three month old. And a two year old. And a four year old. I am constantly exhausted and rarely clean. I have plenty of children that keep me plenty busy, so why in the world would I feel that twinge that I want more babies? Why have I been sad all day thinking about the fact that pregnancy and birth are a thing of the past for me? Why do I suddenly want to keep nursing Caleb until he's in kindergarten? Logically, I know I don't want more kids (see first paragraph). I should be enjoying the present and looking ahead to the next phase of our lives. But instead I feel a little like my heart is grieving, mourning the loss of babyhood. I think I have loved being a mom three times over and love my babies so much that I want to hold onto those feelings and experiences. I knew with our first two sons that we'd eventually have another baby (we always planned on having three), so I was never hesitant to say goodbye to each phase that passed. My life has revolved around growing and birthing and raising babies for the last five years. It's a huge part of my identity that I will be shedding in the coming years, and it's not easy to let go of, even if I know it's what I want.
Luckily, I still have a baby who is very much a baby. He will prove it to me in about two hours when he wakes up for his first mid-night feeding. I still have time to savor his chubby thighs and downy hair, and I will enjoy watching him grow into his own little person in the next few months, as I enjoyed watching his brothers before him. I will also have two new nieces soon. They should help give me a newborn fix. Otherwise, I'm in trouble. I might have to change my name to Baby Junkie!
So can someone please explain just what the heck is going on with me? Today, while browsing Facebook, a friend's status update proclaimed that she was in labor. I was so excited for her on this momentous day in her life, but I was also so jealous that I'll never experience labor and birth again (if you think I'm crazy for saying this, please read one of my previous PregTASTIC blogs called Birth Junkie).
Yesterday I talked to one of my pregnant sisters (I have two!), who had just returned home from her baby shower. Her excitement and anticipation about becoming a mom was so touching, and I think I might be even more excited about her impending motherhood than she is. Then I though about the fact that I'll never be pregnant again, and that my days of having my own sweet baby are numbered. I looked at Caleb and thought that he looked huge, not really like a newborn anymore at all. I actually smelled him to make sure he still smelled babyish. Then I panicked because I realized that eventually I'll have to wean him (I cannot bring myself to think about that sad day yet), and that someday soon he's going to roll over. Then the next thing I know, he'll be packing for college. And then I think I actually felt my uterus cringe.
WHAT?! I have a three month old. And a two year old. And a four year old. I am constantly exhausted and rarely clean. I have plenty of children that keep me plenty busy, so why in the world would I feel that twinge that I want more babies? Why have I been sad all day thinking about the fact that pregnancy and birth are a thing of the past for me? Why do I suddenly want to keep nursing Caleb until he's in kindergarten? Logically, I know I don't want more kids (see first paragraph). I should be enjoying the present and looking ahead to the next phase of our lives. But instead I feel a little like my heart is grieving, mourning the loss of babyhood. I think I have loved being a mom three times over and love my babies so much that I want to hold onto those feelings and experiences. I knew with our first two sons that we'd eventually have another baby (we always planned on having three), so I was never hesitant to say goodbye to each phase that passed. My life has revolved around growing and birthing and raising babies for the last five years. It's a huge part of my identity that I will be shedding in the coming years, and it's not easy to let go of, even if I know it's what I want.
Luckily, I still have a baby who is very much a baby. He will prove it to me in about two hours when he wakes up for his first mid-night feeding. I still have time to savor his chubby thighs and downy hair, and I will enjoy watching him grow into his own little person in the next few months, as I enjoyed watching his brothers before him. I will also have two new nieces soon. They should help give me a newborn fix. Otherwise, I'm in trouble. I might have to change my name to Baby Junkie!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Pregnancy Parking Privileges?
Okay, mamas-to-be and new mamas out there. I need your opinions. The city of New York is considering special parking privileges for pregnant women with difficult pregnancies. Learn more about the proposal here.
My first thought after reading this article is that it’s a victory for sore backs and swollen feet everywhere. Hooray for preggies!
My second thought is purely selfish. What about me and all the other moms schlepping their kids around out there?? Why don’t we get special parking? After all, I could use it now more than I ever did when I was pregnant! Picture this typical morning grocery store run for me. I scour the parking lot for a spot that can both fit my not-so-mini-van but also isn’t four miles away from the store’s entrance. Every time, it’s the same routine. I let the four year old out first because he can be trusted not to run. I load the baby up in the Ergo carrier, put the diaper bag on one shoulder, the reusable grocery bags on the other, then unbuckle the two year old. Taking the two big boys’ hands in mine, we make our way towards the store. Each precarious step is a balancing act – keeping the bags on my shoulders and holding the two year old’s hand hard enough that he can’t make a mad dash into traffic but not so tightly as to hurt him, letting go of the four year old’s hand momentarily to stuff the pacifier back into the screaming baby’s mouth. Basically, the closer I can park to a store, the better. I want the special parking! The pregnant lady’s kid is a lot easier to manage IN the womb then my three are out here in the world!
Even more importantly than my own selfish wants and desires, I also worry about what this proposition says about pregnancy. It seems that pregnancy is viewed by some in our society as a disability. The article doesn’t specify what counts as a “difficult” pregnancy, but it does say that a doctor’s note will be required to get the special parking permit. I definitely support the idea that women who have real medical issues should be entitled to the services and help that they need. Most pregnant women, however, are not disabled or weaker because of their “condition.” Instead, they prove every day how capable women are – we can grow babies after all! I am a true believer that pregnancy is an empowering experience for a woman. I fear, however, that this parking permit situation might have a negative effect on that cause down the road. If the system is taken advantage of, for instance, and women are bombarding their doctors with trumped up symptoms to get a special parking pass, will it perpetuate the viewpoint that pregnant women are not as capable as non-pregnant women? Will they be resented for taking up prime parking unnecessarily? Could it even have implications on birth in the future? After all, if a pregnant woman can’t park in a regular parking spot, how could she ever push out a baby all by herself?
What do you think? Am I reading too much into this situation? Am I just too jealous of all the preggies who will now get prime parking? Should I just shut up and be happy for my pregnant sisters in NYC?
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