I'm a Faucet Again!!

At Lily's 6 month appt, we discovered that she had only gained 11 oz in two months! I was suspecting that I had some milk supply issues, so I needed to do something about it.

I went what I thought was the easiest route and ate 1-1/2 cups of oatmeal per day for the last month in order to boost my boobie milk supply. But, now I think I would rather get every one of my teeth pulled out than to ever look at that mushy stuff again.

So, it's time to go with something a little more potent: fenugreek. Fenugreek is an herb that they (I have no idea who 'they' are) put in capsules and will apparently boost my milk supply. The bottle also says it helps with digestion. Not sure sure how those are related, but whatever.

I took two pills yesterday and this morning I woke up with boobie milk all over my nightgown, all over my bed, all over the walls, the floor, and the ceiling (ok, that's a bit much). So, it was a success!! I'm going to take Lily back to the doc in a couple of weeks and hopefully she will have gained some weight. Maybe I could just give her some of my extra weight. I've got plenty.

A Little More About Me

I've been re-thinking my About Me section to the right and thought that it really doesn't express a lot about me truly. So, I decided to start a list:

I try to eat healthy (a couple of times a year).

I love it when Lily smiles when she poos.

I used to make my bed when company came over, but now I just close the door.

I hate to cap the toothpaste or squeeze it from the bottom.

I feel self-conscious when I buy junk food at the grocery store (but it doesn't stop me).

I cry when I watch videos from when Lily was a newborn.

I refuse to eat the butts of the bread. This annoys my husband to no end.

I'm a googling addict.

I give Lily, like, 500 kisses a day. I hope she never tells me that it's too many.

I secretly hope that someday people will describe me as "taking 'something' by storm". I have yet to find what the 'something' will be.

I love radishes.

I often post things on my blog in spite of my inner critic.

I divulge all my secrets to my 5-month old.

I still haven't lost all my baby weight.

Before I was a mom, I was a preschool director.

I miss my baby when she naps for longer than an hour.

I am a comment junkie, so comment away!

I just got super excited when I found out that my recycling place accepts #1 and #2 plastics. And almost everything is #1 or #2.

I laugh at and with my husband in equal amounts.

I have a love/hate relationship with the following things:
-TV
-Walmart
-Breastfeeding
-Neighbors
-Saving money
-Rain
-Clothes shopping

I get annoyed when people are clueless at 4-way stops.

I never want to work outside of my home again.

I fall more in love with my baby every day.

Some people might say that I smile too much.

I collect dust bunnies in every corner of my house. I'm running out of names for them all.

My daughter is the only person who appreciates my singing.

My teeth haven't seen a dentist in waaaay too many years.

There were only 4 guests at my wedding. It took place 2000 miles away from my home.

I spy on my neighbors.

Two things I will not write about on my blog: politics and religion.

I'll do anything to make Lily laugh.

I can be extremely organized when I want to be. I never want to be.

I hope that people enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

Baby Poop Retraction: I Take it ALL Back!

One glorious thing about having a blog is that everyone can read your thoughts, your feelings, your fears, etc etc etc. One of the worst? Everyone can read your thoughts, your feelings, your fears.


A short time ago, I posted a smug account of poop. About how everyone says that breastmilk poop does not stink. In it, I unabashedly recounted the horrible stinkiness in my daughter's own breastfed diapers.



Well, we recently started solids. And, coincidentally or not, she then went 5 days without a poop. 5 days. Imagine if you went 5 days. She was typically a 2-3 poops a day kind of girl until solids.


And, let me just say, oh my goodness! I would give ANYTHING for the sweet buttermilk smell of breastfed poop again. I am waving my white flag. Please be kind. I take it all back.

The Sucky Part of Mommyhood

Why is it that whenever moms talk about the sucky stuff of being a mommy they just kind of laugh it off or gloss over it? Like, when talking to a pregnant momma, they say things like, "Going to the movies, that'll be over with soon! Ha ha ha" or "Ha ha ha, I didn't sleep for two years straight! Ha ha ha!" or "She's on the boob 24 hours a day! Ha ha ha!"

When I was pregnant and heard comments like that, I laughed right along with them. And, I knew having a baby would be hard, but, for some, stupid reason I was under the impression that I would be able to just laugh about it at the time it was occuring. Like, "Ha ha ha, Precious Little Lily, you've been crying for 3 hours straight! Ha ha ha!"

Yeh, then reality hit in the form of a 9-lb boobie monster. It SUCKS being up at 4am with a crying baby. It SUCKS nursing until you have a dream that your nipples fell off (yes, I had a dream they fell off in the bathtub). It SUCKS when all you want to do is sleep more than a 3-hour stretch. It just SUCKS. And it especially SUCKS when all this continues for days, weeks and months on end with no real break.

I'm not saying that Mommyhood isn't rewarding and wonderful and fun and all that. But why can't mommies just be real with eachother? Mommyhood is hard. Really hard. And mommies often pretend like it's not.

I think all of us mommies have to agree that we will talk about it. We won't pretend to be Super Mommies. We'll ask for help. Or for an ear. Or a shoulder. Or for a muzzle for our babes. I'll go first: I love my babe, but sometimes, Mommyhood sucks.

Let's Talk about Poop

Whoever stated that breastfed poop doesn't stink was a liar, never had children or both. Worse is the claim that it smells like buttermilk. If what's in Lily's diapers smells like buttermilk, I will pass on the buttermilk pancakes next time I'm at IHOP. There's even a popular website that touts odorless poop as a reason to breastfeed. I'm all for trying to convince people to breastfeed, but let's keep it honest.

When I google "breastfed poop smell", it becomes apparent that every baby's breastfed poop smells a little different. Some people describe it as like cream corn, apple cider vinegar, or cinnamon toast. Why all the comparisons with food? That's just nasty, folks.

Then, I came across this article. A 2006 study that required moms to sniff dirty diapers found that moms preferred the smell of their own baby's poops. This was true even when the diapers were purposefully mislabeled. Either moms just get used to their own baby's poo smells or humans have evolved to not be revolted by their own baby's smells so that the smell doesn't interfere with their ability to care for their young.

Interesting. Apparently my nose is broken or I have just not evolved in this respect. I cannot possibly be the only momma that feels this way about their little one's diapers. But, I'm apparently the only one willing to admit it. My little darling's poos don't smell like anything that I ever have eaten. I'm stating it loud and clear. My baby's poop smells like poop. And it stinks. Pass me the gas mask, please, I need to change a diaper.