Milk Shake

It is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much better watching the pounds fall OFF instead of STACK ON! After Brighton was out of me I immediately asked for a scale to see how much I'd lost. (Of course, I was sorely disappointed to see that I'd lost NONE)... I didn't understand that until the nurse explained that they stuffed me full of fluids. But now that I'm home, I am happy to report that two weeks post-par-tum I am 124. That is a fine STOP weight for me, as far as I'm concerned (I don't mind a little extra junk in the trunk, if ya know what I'm saying)... assuming the glob of FLAB can be crunched back into something resembling a stomach. AND, as for what was once a BELLY BUTTON... ummm.... well... I don't know exactly WHAT it looks like now... sort of disappeared with a little X to mark the spot. AGAIN, as I've said before, it is just insurance that I am NEVER EVER tempted to wear a belly shirt. (I don't want to be THAT mom anyway... the mom that has two kids and is still dressing like she's 16 with two butt cheeks falling out the back of her shorts, the belly flab hanging over the front of the shorts with her boobs falling somewhere in the middle of her stomach... BUT she's feeling good because she's lost 10 pounds and somehow now feels JUSTIFIED to dress like that to show off her victorious weight loss...) OK... I've been tempted to jump into my pre-prego clothes JUST because I can (and I mean CAN very loosely.. like suck in, lay flat on bed, TUG with all my might, leave pants unbuttoned, and lettin it ALL hang out... and... over)... BUT... a couple glances in the mirror reminds me people still have EYES and I should PROBABLY respect that. I can, at least, somewhat relate to the feeling of the girls at the mall trying to pull-off the BEAUTIFUL blue jean underwear they are trying to pass off as shorts. (And not very successfully doing so).

Something quite interesting that I've observed: I have WAAAAAAY more cravings (and they are SOOO much more intense) now that I'm breastfeeding than I EVER had while being pregnant. But the cravings are a bit different. When I was pregnant I craved FOOD items (mostly salt! salt! salt!- and dirt... but that's a WHOLE 'nother story). Let's just say that... YESTERDAY, I downed THREE chocolate shakes. AND that was with me CONTROLLING my cravings. I wanted to down a LOOOOT more than that. And I crave smoothies and coke freezes from Wards and Coke icees from the gas station and snow cones... pretty much any unhealthy drink beverage imaginable... and that's ALL I want... I'm not even hungry... just STARVING for more drink. And I'm sucking down water like a starved WEED but its like watering sand. SO basically, with me saying this, 124 will probably BE my stopping point! (unless chocolate shakes are healthier for me than I'm thinking...)

Yesterday I took Brighton (and ONLY BRIGHTON) to the doctor for his two week check-up. I'm happy to report he has grown half an inch... 21 1/2 inches today.. his head has gotten larger (14 3/4) and I'm fattening him up quite nicely. He's now a whopping 9lbs 12 oz. The doctor said, "Wow! I guess I don't have to ask how feeding is going..." And I seriously had to BITE my tongue because I WANTED to break into song, "My milkshake brings all tha' boys to the yard..." (which... I'm ashamed to say I've done... on SEVERAL occasions, the last of which being in the bathroom mirror at which time Starling passed and looked at me like I'd grown three heads and was twirling fire batons). The song just seems so fitting of a breastfeeding mother. I change the words, of course. I belt out, "My milkshake brings all the babes (as in babies)to the yard, dang right, my milk's better than yours. I can pump some... but I'll have to charge..."

It is SUCH a good thing that babies come here as infants and have no ability to judge. Can you imagine a 10 year old coming into my family? "The mom is running around shirtless singing MY MILKSHAKE at the top of her lungs while the dad is quoting LAND BEFORE TIME and fast forwarding to the end so he can BELT out the ending song at the top of HIS lungs while their other kid Brooklyn is screeching Jesus Loves Me, but mixing it up with her Brook Brook song so its being sung 'I love Jesus, Yes I do, He's my little peek-a-poo, I love I love my Jesus!' These people are INSANE!!! I opt for a NEW FAMILY!" But Brighton, luckily for us, is just like, "As long as you feed me, I don't care that you drown me in breast milk and let poop run down my leg."

I addressed to the doctor that Brighton shoots milk out of his nose pretty much EVERY time he eats and asked if that is a problem or just a neat little talent he's mastered. The doc told me that Brighton probably has infant reflux that nothing can be done about. He said that I'll just have to wait until he outgrows it in 3 or 4 months. And then he asked if it seemed to bother him and answered himself, "Actually, its OBVIOUSLY not bothering him. Most babies come in at 2 weeks just reaching their birth weight again. He's gained a pound and 10 oz." RESISTING urge to break into milkshake AGAIN.

AND speaking of that... I'm craving a chocolate shake and Brighton is hungry... time to MULTI-TASK!!

Yesterday we went to the Discovery Center on the Coast. I highly recommend it! Brooklyn had an absolute BALL and we didn't even get to see everything! LOTS and LOTS to do! I, of course, took LOTS and LOTS of pics! Here are just a few!

ALL ABOARD!

LET'S SAIL!

CONSTRUCTION GIRL ON SITE!

OFF TO THE MARKET!

BABY BOUTIQUE HAT SHOP

LITTLE TOT VILLAGE

FINE DINING

TOT TV

LET'S FLY!

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN GET AWAY