Our big girl had her very first trip to the dentist and I'm proud to report that it went so, SO incredibly awesome. Since Ava bug still has her baby teeth and she's only 2, this trip wasn't exactly necessary, but we want her to get familiar with all aspects of future medical care. I tried making this first visit happen for months and months before...but it just didn't happen because I wanted to include Justin )he's been apart of all of her firsts), but his schedule last year was just so incredibly hectic. Anywho, we ended up going in with all four of us in tow in the new mom wagon. The suite is being remodeled so at first glance, i wasn't super impressed with the outside facility and Ava seemed a little apprehensive too. When we walked in, all of that changed. The office is extremely nice with a really nice area filled with toys for little ones. Olivia was asleep, so Justin watched the girls while I filled out new patient paper work. 

The staff was extremely punctual and got us in not long after we filled out the paperwork. When Ava got a glance at the pretty chairs.. she was on cloud 9. She gladly got on the chair, put on the headphones for the moving that was playing from the t.v. on the ceiling, and she even let the dental assistance place glasses (brightness factor) over her eyes. I knew my girl would be more interested in all the tools being used, so I wasn't surprised when she made the decision to take the glasses off. She was so intrigued by the dental floss, the water gadget, and the instrument used to brush her teeth. The Dentist of the practice commented on how awesome Ava's demeanor was and told Justin and I that we should be proud.

She then proceeded to call Ava an awesome blossom and took a peek at her teeth. She reported that Ava's teeth were completely perfect. She has all her teeth and they are beautiful. She does have an under bite, but that will likely fix itself when her bigger teeth come in. The dentist had zero concerns and were impressed with how well Ava brushes her teeth. In the seat directly across from us a little boy (about Ava's age) was bawling his head off because he didn't want anyone looking into his mouth. I was really shocked because the staff wasn't intrusive at all. The dentist said it really just depends on the characteristics of the kiddo. Some kids love medical visits, others not so much. Had me really wondering what Olivia will be like at her first dental visit. 

♥- Leilani

Five weeks (continued success)

It has been almost six full weeks since I last nursed Ava bug, and since we last actively co-slept with our sweet girl in our bed. The first blog I wrote discussed our "cold turkey" method and some of the other things we did in order to get Ava adjusted the best way we knew how. I'm proud to report after an entire almost six weeks, our new routine is down pat and my sweet girl has successfully been weaned. It's weird to say that sometimes and it's also really weird not to have a toddler reaching for my shirt, or patting me to let me know she needs that type of comfort. It took me a couple weeks to really be okay with the decision because I found myself getting really emotional about it after we'd already started the process. My daughter has continued to be resilient and she absolutely loves her toddler bed. We have the same routine every single night and her new bedtime is 8 p.m. which I think works really well for our family. She sleeps through the night and I have finally moved back into my own bed, rather than sleeping by the side of hers. That took me three weeks, back kinks, and my husband telling me to come to bed every night. It really was a comfort issue for me though. It's very weird to suddenly have over a year and a half of co-sleeping become nonexistent.

I have noticed some great benefits from our change and that alone has really made this switch worth it. Ava has become so independent with her sleep and it's awesome to watch. Justin and I also have a lot more time to ourselves at night. We watch our shows together, we snuggle more, and we are able to move in our bed without toddler feet or hands on our faces. Some of those added benefits have been nice, and Ava has only slept with us probably less than a handful of times since we made the switch. We are not against co-sleeping, but she definitely sleeps a lot better in her own bed these days. I got an email asking if I would stop nursing earlier if I knew that weaning would be this easy. My response to that would be no. Breastfeeding was such a huge part of the bond I created with my daughter over the last twenty months of her life. I don't know what kind of mother I'd be if i had chosen a different route. I always preach that breastfeeding is about so much more than nutrition, and it is! I learned to trust my body, I learned what my body was truly capable of, and I was able to be so much more than just comfort for my child. I will say, towards the 18th month mark, I knew that our weaning days would come shortly after. Even before we decided to try for another baby, nursing just wasn't the same for me anymore.

Taking into consideration that you have a child who drinks organic whole milk throughout the day, a toddler that is solely using you for a human pacifier, and the fact that you are having extreme discomforts from the lack of nursing and having your breasts engorged... I think that's when I knew I was ready to stop. Our infertility is sort of a blessing in disguise because If not for having to take medication that could impact my breastmilk, I'm not sure if we'd be weaned right now. The truth is, I wanted Ava to wean herself. She didn't, but I probably would have waited as long as it took for her to wean herself. It's a really tough decision and moving forward (God willing), with our next child, I may make some changes to help me out a little more with this process.

So there it is! My toddler was successfully weaned without any real drama or heartache! I still can't believe how easy it was. How many other mama's are trying to wean their toddlers right now? Have you tried any special techniques? What about mama's that have already weaned? What did you do to end your breastfeeding relationship? Shoot an email or write me in the comments below. I can't wait to hear all of the different methods you guys have!

Happy Wednesday all

♥- Leilani

Toddlers in Public

Yesterday, I had Ava bug on the go with me for a lot longer than usual. Since she's ditched her infancy, I've tried to feel things out, and test the waters with our schedule. I'm trying not to be as strict with our days, and I'm allowing Ava to show me how she feels about certain things. For instance, yesterday we went out to a lunch with some of the Army wives here. Ava is a relatively good baby on the go, so I really didn't have any worries. I've noticed in these last few months that she wants to be entertained more than before. She wants you to pay attention to her and include her in the conversation. That's precisely what I did.

While trying to have conversations with women I had just met, I had Ava on my lap. She was perfectly content with chewing on the straw I bought from home, and snacking on some treats her mama made. She hated the resturant high chair (not surprised), and I think it was because it prevented her from being in the loop. She decided to have a LOUD opinion about me putting her in the highchair.  Instead of getting upset, or ducking out early, I just went with it. I am not ashamed to have my child in public. I'm not ashamed when she displays strong emotions that lead into fussing; that's how she communicates with me.

I ended up nursing her at the table, and the ladies there were more than okay with it. It actually got us into a whole new discussion on breastfeeding, and you guys know I was more than elated to share my experience and knowledge. Breastfeeding turned into cloth diaper talk, which turned into baby fever talk. All the while I either had Ava on my lap or my part of the table. I ended up sharing my lunch with Ava while we were out, and I can honestly say that is the only time she was okay with being in a restaurant highchair. She was so happy munching on "big girl food" with mama.

At the end of the lunch a couple of the girl commented on Ava's demeanor. They said she was one of the most well behaved babies they had seen. It actually kind of made me giggle. I had thought that Ava was a little bit more fussy than usual.. and they hadn't noticed what I had. Granted, it's my job as her mama to know. This is kind of how I treat every place we go. You really don't ever know what type of mood your toddler is going to be in. You can't let that hinder you from taking them on the go! We are heading to a festival later today, and I'm excited to see how this goes with her. I have always tried to avoid really busy places with bug, but there is a first time for everything.

Happy Sunday all!

♥- Leilani

Lesson Learned

Halloween was a bit of a dud! I was so disappointed with the small amount of trick or treaters we got. I thought living in a subdivision would supply us with an overload of kiddos last night. Justin cut open our cute little bags we had (he thought we were going to run out of candy) and decided to pour them all in the candy bowl. Now we are stuck with SO much candy. Other than that, our night was fantastic. It was so fun seeing my husband light up when the door bell rang. He was just so cool! Telling our trick or treaters how awesome their costumes were, smiling and holding Ava whenever he answered the door. We made a decision about future Halloweens, we will not be taking Ava until she is old enough to say, "Trick-or-treat." We got a lot of little kiddies last night and I feel like it's a little ridiculous to take them out late at night, for all that candy, they won't be able to eat. We will be dressing her up next year, she'll just be on candy duty at home.

I am glad October is behind us though. November marks two of my favorite holidays. Veterans day, and Thanksgiving. I want to do something really special for Justin this year, since he was deployed last year. I'm already brainstorming an epic day for him! I'm thinking about dressing Ava up as an adorable turkey for her Thanksgiving photos. Honestly, how cute would that be? I love this time of year, I really, really LOVE it! I'm loving it more this year, because in a matter of weeks, we'll be out of Georgia!

I say this a lot, but I am SO SO glad Justin is here for the first year of Princess A's life. I can't imagine going through all these holidays, and special events without him. I have been looking at all the photos we have taken since he returned from Afghanistan, I've got to tell you, they mean more to me than gold. I can't imagine doing her first Christmas morning without him, or her first New Year. It's also nice to see us grow as parents, together. Everyone knows about maternal instincts, but paternal instincts are just as strong as well.

Ava will be six months old in 16 days... This is so crazy for me. Having babies really does make the time move so much faster. We have been talking about Howland babies again. Looks like we'll be trying in NOV 2014. I'm hoping we get lucky and it only takes us a month or so to conceive another babe. Ava will be eighteen months, it's really a perfect time for us. I'm having trouble grasping the fact that I will be 23 years old next year. I wonder how weird that is for my parents? Having their little girl completely grown up, with her own child.

Feels like it happened in a blink of an eye. Well, I'm off! We've got a busy weekend, and I've got some school work to do. Justin has today off, so i'm staying off of networking sites most of the weekend! I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween! Happy Friday!

♥- Leilani