Chickpeas, Breast & All The Rest

Gretchen eats most of her meals like this -- in the Bumbo, on the coffee table (even though the warning on the side of the contraption specifically says 'not for use on a raised surfaces' -- we're rebels, what can I say). At this particular dinner she was chasing a rogue chickpea across the table and working on her cute little pincer grasp. She's getting really fantastic and picking up tiny little objects.

Chickpeas have been a hit these days, along with: bananas, applesauce, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots & she's even tried little bits of firm tofu.

She is breastfeeding quite a bit less these days, though we are definitely nowhere close to weaning.

Most days we nurse:

01. When we wake up

02. Midmorning/nap time

03. Around lunch

04. Afternoonish/nap time

05. Around dinner

06. Bedtime

Sometimes she nurses less & sometimes more, with little snacklings throughout the day when all she wants is a couple sips. We always nurse at nap time/bedtime, however.

Tomorrow Gretchen will be 10 months old which means I'll have been nursing her for 10 whole months. My initial goal was to make to it a year, and now I know we'll be going much further than that. For those of you who are newer to the blog, I had quite a bit of trouble with breastfeeding to begin (which you can read about here, here & here) and to know how far I've come makes me burst with pride. I'm so happy that I stuck it out & I'm so happy for the time that I get to spend nursing my daughter. It's still hard, sometimes -- breastfeeding is a lifestyle and not for the faint of heart. It is, however, worth every single little moment.

On that note, I just wanted to thank you all again for your support over these last 10 months -- your kind comments & words of encouragement got me through some rather rough patches & I love you all for that.

Merci.