My love of breastfeeding

I want to share with you all my love story of breastfeeding. It started off rough, you could say its been a bumpy road.  The 1st couple of months were tough I had an intense cluster feeder on my hands I spent every night for about 5 hours stuck on the couch where bryson would latch and unlatch and scream in-between. This was probably mostly because of my inexperience as a momma, and my frustration really made it worse. He was also  a very very VERY gassy boy who spent most nights screaming until 1 in the morning. (Leaving me in tears.) But Ive always been bound and determined there was no other option for me I was going to make it work, I was going to find the silver lining. I had to cut dairy, caffeine, and all other gassy foods out of my diet, I had to breathhhhhhhh threw those cluster feedings and screaming sessions it was tough If I had other children that I needed to care for Im not to sure how I would have made it. BUTTTT slowly and surely the cluster feeds started to fade and around 4 months those tummy aches were completely gone and I was left with this beautiful, precious, amazing gift of breastfeeding. This isnt to say that I didnt have moments before this that were pure perfection but because of the great struggle I was still going threw I still wasnt fully in love with the process. It was after 4 months of hard work and tears that Bryson and I made it to blissfulness.

I find our culture to have a very "Dammed if you do and dammed if you don't" attitude towards breastfeeding. If you dont breastfeed your a bad mom, if you breastfeed to long your inappropriate, if you dont breastfeed long enough you failed, if you breastfeed out in public your unexceptable. The list goes on. My feeling towards this has always been this is between MY body and MY baby and has nothing to do with anybody else. I really could careless about what others think, breastfeeding has been happening since the beginning of time every human being before bottles were breastfed. I really dont understand why there is even judgement when it comes to this.  I plan to nurse my little man as long as he needs and I refuse to let society have any say in that.

There is so much more that happens while I breastfeed then just feeding my baby:

1. Nothing beats skin to skin. Humans thrive on touch and stopping to gently stroke my sons face, and arms and rub his back is beautiful and fills both our tanks.

2. Its our time out from the world, it forces me to stop, sit and relax multiple times during our day.

3. We laugh, make faces, and funny noises. I wouldnt trade this silly time for anything.

4. It brings bryson so much comfort any time he has a meltdown, or hurts himself he asks to nurse, I love that Im the one who brings him great comfort.

5. Hello its FREE and so convenient

6.  Bryson is not a huge fan of food and I can rest assured knowing he is getting what he needs threw breast milk. Did you know that breastfeeding past infancy has all these health benefits:
In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

• 29% of energy requirements
• 43% of protein requirements
• 36% of calcium requirements
• 75% of vitamin A requirements
• 76% of folate requirements
• 94% of vitamin B12 requirements
• 60% of vitamin C requirements

Breastfeeding is whats best for Bryson and whats best for me I pray that I will be breastfeeding all my babies the majority of my twenties and thirties. It makes me feel human, makes me feel organic,makes me feel connected to other women, makes me feel so beautiful, like Im a mother earth and this is a very special gift motherhood has given me. 

nite nite friends 

CURRY!!

Here is my Thai Green Curry recipe beware Im so not a recipe type person, I hate exact measurements and like to just add what feels right so if your the type of person who needs everything perfect this recipe is not for you :)    This makes and makes enough to feed 4 adults for 2 dinners, and lunch :)
Im also adding my this weeks meal plan to the bottom

1. Sauté green curry paste with ghee (or oil of your choice) for about 5 mins

 Side note: every curry paste is different I usually had 1 tablespoon and keep adding if needed later

2. Add 5 cans Coconut milk (or less depending on how much you want to make) turn to medium heat and let simmer. Make sure to buy cans that are BPA free

3. Chop Veggies into small pieces I used all of these you can really add whatever you have. Add eggplant 1st let cook 10 mins before everything else If you have lime leaves you can also add them

4. Bring to a boil then turn to low heat 

5. Taste test do you need more curry paste? Add it now I also add about half a cup of coconut sugar to mild down the spiciness and bring in nice flavor (you can really use whatever sugar you have) 

6. let simmer until everything is cooked about 25 mins Poor over the rice of your choosing or in my case I put it over spaghetti squash. 

7. ENJOY

This weeks Meals:

Tuesday: Hamburgers with sprouted buns and carrot sticks

Wednesday: Fish tacos

Thursday: BBQ Chicken, sweet potato Hash, kale salad 

Friday: Spaghetti squash with tomato sauce and lamb meatballs

Saturday: Chicken legs, greek salad

Sunday: Omelets 

Monday: Sausage, grilled peppers, grilled tomatoes, grilled onion on top of a yam

Im sick of my breakfast so Im starting to bake 1 egg in half a avocado YUM YUM

I also found a great new snack for Bryson I soak cashews overnight and them rinse them it makes them easier to chew and he loves them.

Also please make these cookies they are AWESOME

Nite nite Friends 

Kirista

fight or flight

 I was recently out of town visiting family, my husband called one afternoon and told me he found a house we could rent for August 1st. It was June 25th and I wasn't going to be home till July 4th. We also were not planning on moving till next summer, so this came out of nowhere. If we wanted the house we would have to decide in the next couple days but we wouldn't be able to see the inside until I got back. 

At 1st I thought ok let's do it we need a yard and not having 4 levels to scale up everyday would be nice. As I lay awake that night I started to go into fight or flight: I'm going to be so far from my grocery stores, and sea world, and our church, it's going to be SO HOT out there. I'm going to miss the beach how am i going to pack with a toddler in 3 weeks No No No I don't want to move!!!! I called my husband the second I woke up and told him all my thoughts. He said "honey your being negative"... I got off the phone frustrated I wasn't being negative I was being SCARED I was panicking. 

I went to my mom in tears she calmly said "sweet heart I know how you feel I would feel the same way, but let's look at all the positive things". She listed them all and I instantly felt better, I instantly felt like I could breath. I realized that all my reading on parenting was truly right. For all we ever want as humans is to feel understood, to feel like someone has our back, that we are not alone. That's what new born babies need thats what my toddler needs when he is having a tantrum, it's what a 5 year old needs, it's what a teenager needs its what my 27 year old shelf needed. I was coming to my husband out of a place of fear I needed reassurance and LOVE and for him to say "honey I know how your feeling but I will protect us".  I'm not writing this to point out where my husband is at fault because Ive done this many times before to him. It's so that maybe someone can understand that fight or flight equals fear. Maybe if we all just took a second to step back and think when our loved ones are acting out we could come back and respond with love and understanding changing the whole scenario for the positive and strengthening our relationships! 

nite nite 

Kirista 

Transition

I find my biggest struggle in parenting is the constant transitions. I remember when Bryson turned one and my sweet easy going happy baby all of a sudden developed an opinion. This happened literally over night. I was so caught off guard I didn't know how to react he started hitting me when he was mad it kind of broke my heart. I remember being in tears after he looked me in the eyes and so aggressively pinched my face. I thought God what have I done? I dove into books again i read EVERYTHING about toddler brain development. You know what?  I didn't do anything !! Bryson was simply blossoming as a individual and I needed to adjust my thinking to allow that to happen naturally. This went against everything I wanted to do as a mother I wanted to turn back the clock , lock us in a room and pray that time somehow wouldn't apply to us. I felt myself feeling almost like I was suffocating because my baby MY BABY was detaching from me. Nobody told me about this...... He is my baby he is apart of my body we are one!  But i was wrong we aren't one we are two completely different human beings and as time passes that will become more and more evident.  As a parent my job is help this be successful to allow every transition to be positive to help him thrive and to fight threw my fear. This is something that brings instant tears to my eyes but its life and if I want Bryson to become his best self then I need to give him space to do so. Lord please help me

I started thinking about how much children grow and change and are constantly learning. they are in a constant mode of stretching their abilities and challenging their very existence. I can't help but think that we are never supposed to stop having transitions. That we are supposed to be constantly learning and growing.  Why as adults do we get stagnant? Kids don't have comfort zones they stretch to their capacity zone. so why don't we continue to do so? Maybe if I'm constantly stretching myself past my comfort zone and reaching new transitions asking myself what can I become? Maybe Bryson's transitions won't be such a difficult thing for me. 

Editor James Terry White Observed: "Nature has everywhere written  her protest against idleness; everything which ceases to struggle, which remains inactive, rapidly deteriorates. It is the struggle, which remains inactive, rapidly deteriorates. It is the struggle toward an ideal, the constant effort to get higher and further, which develops manhood and character."

This is me thinking out loud!

Nite nite friends