This Moment: Bottle AND Boob

This pictures speaks very clearly to what my breastfeeding relationship with Penelope has been like.

The bottle is in focus and me and Penelope are in the background, slightly out of focus. I love how you can see me doing hand compressions. If I want to her to get milk, this is what I have to do. My arm feels like its going to fall off after she nurses, because I am compressing like a mad woman. As if each suckle might be her last and its still a do or death situation to get milk in her belly.

But I am happy, oh so happy and grateful for every single time Penelope nurses.

And that bottle, I have love/hate relationship with it. So happy for its invention, Penelope would have been one of those babies long ago that died from not being able to nurse. The pump and the bottle literally saved her life.

But oh, how I hate that thing and everything it "stands" for in my mind. I can't tell you how much physical pain it causes me to bottle feed her in public around people who don't know me. I wish I had a sign on my forehead that said "IT'S BREASTMILK, BITCHES!"

:)

This Moment: Coming Up Roses!

My knock out roses have been hard at work this month.  They just recently finished their beautiful show.  But I love my back yard, when one plant is finished is onto the next one.  Their is always something beuatiful going off.  My Conferdate Jasimne is at its peak right now.

So on this Earth Day, I am trying to stop and give thanks for the amazing the bounty of the Earth.

We have about 7 bushes that are about 5 feet tall.  When we planted them a few years ago, they were so tiny, but they have done so well in their sunny spot.  I can see them straight out my kitchen window and its wonderful.

And oh, my sweet little Penelope is very into flowers these days too.  She loves to rip them off the plant and give them to me or her Papa.  We are working on "looking with our eyes" or "smelling" or "touching gently". 

Happy Earth Day to you!  And Happy early Easter!

This Moment: Spring Break

When we went on our little family vacation during spring break we drove to Disney and then onto Miami to visit friends and family. Along the way down and up we stopped at a little surf spot about 30 minutes south of St. Augustine so Papa could surf.

These pictures melt my heart.  Her little sandy toes.  It reminds me how big her feet are getting.  I must do a foot stamp print soon!

She was so excited by the water.  She is such a water baby and wants to dive into water whenever she sees it.

Little surfer girl in the making.

This Moment: Good Mornin!

Took this picture last week after eating her breakfast of egg and blueberries. She woke with her hair all crazy and it stayed like that all day!

This Moment 1.27.11: Babydoll Fun

She is all about her stuffed dolls this week! She wants to carry them around in her sling, and she lines them up and brings each one to me for some "na-na milk". Then she puts them each in yoga poses, first Warrior, then Down Dog and lastly Kicky Kobra.

Oh, how I love this girl.

This Moment 12.17.10

This Moment: 12.10.10

this moment 12.3.10

This Moment 11.5.10

This is Penelope's jean jacket from last spring,size 3-6 months. I left it hanging up all summer because I couldn't bare to take it down, even though it stopped fitting her such a long time ago. I finally had to take it down and replace with a 2T jean jacket, but snapped a picture first.

This Moment 10.15.10

I promise I wont post a picture of flowers every week. This is a Hurricane Lily in my yard. I planted them like two or three years ago, but this is the first year it popped up! In honor of Penelope I am sure.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama.com

I am way to much of a gibber gabber to not say anything about this photo. First off, its not actually from this week. The picture I wanted to post from this week, had not been downloaded yet and I didn't have time to download it on the desktop, before I hunkered down on my mac to pump and I only have a certain amount of time to pump while Miss P naps.

This is a picture from earlier this summer when my summer flowers were in full bloom. Its still timely, because the last of my zinnias (the pink flowers) are blooming now and the plant will be removed this weekend to make room for broccoli. The purple flowers are Butterfly Bush and the yellow are Black Eyed Susan's. All native to this area (NE Fl).  The greenery is some Rosemary.

Its a nice reminder for me to pause and say farewell to Summer gardening and hello to Fall gardening.

Speaking of farewell's. I am going to try something new on Friday's. I will do This Moment's on Friday's, like many of my other favorite blogs do. Sometimes I am too burnt out and tired to even read a post from my favorite blog and to relax. I like to just look at pictures instead, I figured you all might feel the same some times. I also thought it might inspire me to take more artsy-fartsy pictures, and, gasp! even become a better photographer in the process.

I hope you like!

And p.s. I will do links on Sunday now and it will be called Sunday Surf, again, I will be following in the footsteps of some of my favorite blogs.

Ok, so that wasn't brief at all. Maybe next week, This Moment, will truly be a single photo-no words.

Have a great weekend!

LOVE,
Stephanie