Day 1 (again)

Opening this blog up again & seeing my newborn baby girl's picture on my last post is blowing my mind. We are coming up on 6 months later and this is what she looks like now: 

It's so annoying to hear the cliche, "they grow up so fast" but this is something that only parents can truly understand. 

I have been thinking about my blog for a couple of days. There is so much to be said about my current mothering journey. The topic that has been surfacing in my mind is that of breastfeeding. 

Yesterday I spent hours at the zoo with my two little ones. It was one of those days where the zoo was almost deserted except for the keepers & photographers. 

The kids & I decided to hang out there spontaneously after attending a music performance at the adjacent World Forestry Center. At the zoo there is a baby Debrazza monkey, Gus, who just turned a year old. I love to visit the babies at the zoo. I've seen nursing elephants, river otters, and Gus with his mama, Brooke. There are also 3 lion cubs who were born just before Scarlett last September who are just moving on from their mamas milk. Yesterday, Gus was like a typical baby toddler. He sucked on his mamas long, tired nipples before running at full speed around their habitat. Then he returned to her for another sip. Brooke & I shared a long moment of eye contact and I can only hope that she knew that I was empathizing with her. I've been there. 

Scarlett's a great nurser, just like her brother was (for 27 months).  I hope she & I can make it to two years. She is completely different than he was, except in that they are both all night nursers & snackers throughout the day. I'm always available and my nipples may as well be as easily accessed under my fur, just like the mama Debrazza. The difference is that Scarlett has two teeth that came in at 3 months & she bites down on my nipples frequently. Jude got the same two bottom teeth at 5 months, but he never bit me. I nursed him until all 20 of his teeth came in, but biting was never an issue. Scarlett will chomp down for leverage while squeezing out a toot or a poop. Just thinking about it makes my nipples sore. 

But, she's so worth it. They both are. 

Just like Brooke, I'll hang out with my nipples available for whenever they're needed. Because it won't be forever. They'll grow up too fast as it is.