On the eve of Stuart's First Birthday

STUART'S BIRTH
It was 1 year ago-and seems like yesterday-that Stuart joined us in the world. My friends were all there as I climbed onto the bed and he dove into the universe! He had a hard time breathing and I can vividly remember his lungs working so hard with every breath. The trip to the NICU all seems so surreal-so long ago. Images of life flight nurses coming into my room to bring us to Anchorage, the scene in the Anchorage NICU still remain in my mind and I am forever grateful to the amazing team of people who helped him through every hour.

My baby is now more of a toddler than a baby. I LOVE everything baby about him...from his soft hair, soft whispers, tiny fingers grabbing mine, arms curled around my neck, baby smiles....but I remind myself it will only get better and better. He makes me laugh so much-sometimes I feel like I've never smiled so much before in my life. I'll look over at him and he flashes me the biggest smiles ever. So sweet. Makes my heart melt.

MORE KIDS?
People say, "well, if you love babies so much, have a third!"...and I know thats not the answer for Patrick and I. After many discussions on this topic, he and I are in agreement that we are so blessed with a healthy boy and girl and 2 is plenty for us. I want time for US again and time for ME-work, hobbies, etc....

NURSING BENEFITS
I will continue nursing Stuart-he is no where near being weaned. I'll let that be a natural process for him. Many look down on nursing kids past the age of one, but all around the world, kids are nursed until they are 2,3 or 4 years old. The benefits are far reaching-for mom and baby. The longer the baby is nursed-the better for mom and baby. Decreased frequency of illnesses for baby and health benefits for mom. Patrick is in full support of nursing-which rocks. He sees how it can so easily soothe Stuart and how good it is for him. Plus, he doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to warm up a bottle-which makes him very happy.
It is hard to explain this to people who question nursing toddlers. I suppose I even questioned nursing toddlers before I had kids. But I didn't know anything about it.
Rather than try to explain myself, I"m just going to keep on nursing Stuart and enjoying that bonding time with him. This past few weeks when he was sick, I was so glad he was at least getting all of the health boosting immunities in my milk! I'm in no rush to wean him, and am going to enjoy the nursing time for as long as it lasts.

SNAPSHOT OF STUART
Favorite pasttimes: eating hairballs off the floor. He'll sit there quietly and smile as he chews on fur from dust bunnies. Ughh.
throwing objects. Hard.
opening and closing things.
playing with cords. I have to watch him like a hawk.
Skills: Cruises along furniture. Crawling is getting faster. Crawling is his primary mode of mobility.
Likes/dislikes: Likes soup, bread, V8, sips of water. Not crazy about new foods. Takes several tries before its a go!! Not quite as ambitious of an eater as Nora was....although you could never guess this from his 29 pound physique!
Loves playing peek-a-boo and will pull books/blankets over his head to play peek-a-boo with anyone who will smile at him!
Flashing smiles at strangers is also a favorite past time.

Zoya

Photos:
Stuart shortly after birth. He was quickly put on oxygen.
Stuart after his arrival home.
Stuart and Nora both nursing after Stuart's arrival home to Kodiak.