Friday, January 4, 2008

99 bottles of milk in the freezer, 99 bottles of milk...



take one down, pump one more round--and still 99 bottles of milk in the freezer.

When I went to sleep last night I started to think that my excitement for "mastering" breastfeeding may have been jumping the gun. I was sure this time things seemed different. Today I realized...
I WAS RIGHT! OH! You just can't imagine the excitement I have in my heart right now!!!! Going on 24 hours plus+++ exclusively breastfeeding at this point! I wish you could understand just what that means--I haven't had to pump in 24 hours--something I've done 6-8 times a day (and through the night) for over 2 months! I haven't had to wash out my pumping bottles, I haven't had to make a bottle--all that is required of me is....ME! And this precious little boy is happy!



Par hasn't been fussy at all--in fact, he seems more satisfied than he had been with the bottle. He's pooped and peed a number of times today (important to note, he is getting food)--all we need to see is for this little monkey to become a chunky monkey! Please know that I was never keeping the bottle from him today--I was ready (and willing--I don't want to listen to a screaming baby either) to give him a bottle the moment I thought he might be "hungry" or didn't get enough. I never had to--I didn't even "almost" have to--and he emptied me EVERY SINGLE TIME! (That will mean most to mothers who have previously pumped and switched to breastfeeding).



Birmingham natives will remember the Coffee Shoppe on Hollywood Blvd. It was so sad when it closed--one of the few places open 24 hours...anyway, I now know what it feels like to be "open for business" for 24 hours--and I have one eager customer! Right now, Par wants refills pretty much every hour--but I've been told he'll space it out on his own over the next few days as he continues to figure things out--and soon we'll be on a more manageable schedule. But I'm not complaining--I'd be okay if this is how it had to be.



Tonight we watched a movie (The Bourne Ultimatum) and had a low key evening--it was nice just hanging out with our new family. Par slept the entire time.

We thank God for our baby--we thank Him for giving us this precious child to raise. We ask that He will guide us in our parenting and that we will constantly seek His will. We continue to pray for Par's friends and families. May God bless them.

Thank you for your prayers.
Liz, Rusty & Par

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

wow,that is a lot of milk,maybe at some time you will still get to use it though so that it wont go to waste,what does par weigh now,love 2 all.

Anonymous said...

Breastfeeding is such a wonderful gift that God gave us!! I am so glad that you and Par are able to share such a close bond!! Par is such a little darling and probably about to "grow like a weed."

Love and prayers,
Zandra

Cindy said...

Yay! I am so happy for you!

Anonymous said...

Liz I am thrilled for you!!! I have to say that Par really does look like his daddy on that last picture. :);) Allison

Anonymous said...

Way to go Par and Liz!!! What wonderful news. He sure does look like Rusty. Tell Rusty there is still hope for Par.Ha! Ha! Love and blessings, Jim and Sheila

Anonymous said...

Hey, I know all about feeding on demand and storing milk and so forth. You all will be on a suitable schedule before you know it! Congrats on keeping up with it all and saving your milk. You will definitely use it when you need to run an errand and he gets hungry while you're in the middle of visiting/shopping/etc.!! It's amazing to see Par come so far. Actually, it won't be long before you will be thinking about how much juice he is getting and how much water to dilute it with! ha

Have a great one - the basingers

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is such a great feeling to exclusively feed your child. Congratulations. It is a lot of work at first - but worth it. Save that freezer milk. You can use it to mix in his cereal when he gets bigger and sometimes when you travel it will be easier to give him a bottle while driving. You will use it! My Pediatrician said I could use mine up to a year. And we did! That is SO cool. It so great to be a MOM.

Vicki Jensen said...

I love that picture of the freezer. As a NICU mom who had to pump I have to congratulate you on all that hard work! I'm thrilled to hear that you can kick the pump to the curbside now and just let Par do his thing. Congrats and enjoy all those precious family moments!!
Love
Vicki
mom to Jack

Anonymous said...

I am a friend of Ella, Josh and Tina.

Glad to see that Par is doing so well at home. I bet Ella is missing her boyfriend!

God Bless you.