Nora reading Go, Dog. Go!
The other day I sat Nora down in front of the TV so Daddy could read a story to her. In this video of Garrett there is a blank screen for a few seconds until Garrett sits down on the chair in front of the camera. The second Garrett sat down Nora said, “Daddy!”
My heart leapt. I am overjoyed that Nora is recognizing her Daddy. One of my biggest fears this deployment is that she would forget who he is in the 8 months he is away. But she saw him and she knew who he was and she was sitting there pointing …
Me and my toddler
Yes, I’m proud (and afraid) to say it. I breastfeed my toddler. I’ve done all of my research on the benefits of breastfeeding and I am definitely an advocate for breastfeeding. I knew early on that I was going to breastfeed Nora (and all of my future children) at least for the first year of their life.
I wasn’t expecting the first year of Nora’s life to come and go so quickly. I also wasn’t expecting Garrett to deploy days after Nora’s first birthday. I didn’t have the heart to rock Nora’s world so soon after Garrett left and continued to breastfeed her. Garrett’s deployment wasn’t the only reason I continued to breastfeed Nora. Maybe I’ve sat through one too many child development classes, but I’m terribly afraid to create attachment and abandonment issues in Nora.
Nora is now officially a year and a half old and, yes, I’m still breastfeeding her. I have been hoping she’d wean herself but that seems to be the farthest thing from what is happening. She seems more attached to breastfeeding, and gets more upset if I deny her request.
Most of the time I am totally okay with breastfeeding Nora despite her age. I am confident in my research and am okay with how much she relies on me/needs me. So why am I sitting here blogging about/in turmoil over breastfeeding a toddler? Keep reading for my little secret.
My girlfriend Sadie went home for this deployment. She has triplets and decided being near her parents and grandparents would be best for her family during the seven month deployment. I was sad to see her go but completely understood her reasoning. As a surprise Toni and I prepared and sent her a Deployment Survival Kit. We filled it with silly and serious things that we hoped would help her get through the days. It included (in no particular order);
12. Cracker Jacks to be a kid again
11. A Baby bottle to keep your babies fed, full and happy
10. A Movie to help you chill out, vegetate, and forget the time …
