Anyway, as always, I would love it others have more data/details on this abstract concept. I finally get what 15 year-old boys knew from the get go…boobs really are so fascinating.

I cannot believe I am going to do this, but I am going to talk about milk, ONE MORE TIME. That’s it. Other than making a mention of when Belén is 100% on cow milk, I promise not to talk about milk again for the rest of the year. Do you ever find yourself in a conversation about something and take a moment to view the conversation from the outside rather than simply participate in it? While doing that, do you ever hear yourself talking and get annoyed with yourself? That is TOTALLY how I feel about writing another milk most, the third in one week, in fact. If I am annoying myself, I must be annoying all of you. But…I know there are a couple of soon-to-be weaners (what a great name!) so alas, despite my annoyance, I forge ahead…but it will be short.

NOW THE TIME, THE TIME IS NOW! I am weaning Miss Belén. She is almost 13-months old. She is working on six additional teeth to add to her existing six. She really didn’t seem all that interested anymore, at least not any more interested to be drinking from my boob than a bottle. She actually makes this cute little noise every time she sees milk or a food she really likes. She used to just make that sound for me when I would walk into the room, tit(s) exposed, but now she makes it for a lot of different things. She is over me, or my breastmilk at least.

I am mostly over it too. I thought I was going to have a really hard time with it emotionally, but it honestly really feels like NOW THE TIME, THE TIME IS NOW!

Have you ever walked into a store with really empty shelves? It is kind of strange really. It is like, I am serious enough about this business to rent some retail space, but I am not serious enough about it that I want to fill my shelves with product you might be interested in. If you think about it, those teenagers who work at the grocery store bringing all of the products to the front of the aisle every night have a really important job because it makes their store look serious about selling you what you need.

While I do not look forward to my monthly visits from Auntie Flo recommencing, the symbolism of what this means is significant! I can barely fathom that I almost have my body back to myself after intimately sharing it with our daughter for a year and ten months. This is going to be a nice change back to a one-time status quo.

Yet another very uncomfortable difference is the teeth. Yes, you read correctly, teeth…she has two now. Even with one, when she bit down it CERTAINLY GOT MY ATTENTION. After yelping like a wounded dog or a grown man kicked in the balls, pick your favorite visual image, I use my “I am not happy with you” voice even though I am not quite certain she gets it yet.

First immunizations, a trip to Stanley and much more post-baby too much information (TMI).

When we got to the reception at my parents house, I packed Belén into the Baby Bjorn and Andy went outside to start taking pictures. As I walked through the sliding glass doors to enter the party, Belén and I were absolutely swarmed, it was crazy! So many friends and relatives who I had not seen for awhile and who had not yet seen the baby were thrilled to have an opportunity to meet Belén. Some of them were bummed that I had her in the Baby Bjorn which precluded them from holding her, but honestly I think 100 people would have held her if she would have been fair game for holding at that point.

Last weekend we kind of reemerged from our home and quickly began looking for things outside of the home to do. At first it was difficult to find activities that we felt we could do with a nearly five week old child since her schedule is still unpredictable and she does not have perfect head control yet which prevents us from going on hikes and putting her in the jogger. We put on our thinking caps and positive attitudes to try and find things we could do with her.

They had taken my catheter out Wednesday morning but then I wasn’t able to go to the bathroom on my own so they had to empty my bladder with a one-time catheter and when I still couldn’t go, they ultimately had to put the catheter back in for another 24 hours. These procedures alone made me glad that we didn’t have a full visitor calendar since I never knew when the nurses were going to need to come in and perform them. With a bladder full of over 1.2 liters of fluid (twice), they never seemed to come soon enough. Finally by Thursday, when they took the third catheter out, I was able to pee on my own. It really felt like a joyous occasion and I think I over-shared with the visitors we had. I felt like a little kid, “hey guess what, I can pee on my own now.”

After thirty-one years of pretty much nothing special happening with my breasts (no offense to those few lucky men they entertained), they suddenly can produce a liquid that our baby will need. You may be thinking, “duh, breastfeeding” but I will tell you what, when it happens to you, it is a whole other ball-game.