nursing, nursing, nursing

dozing off while Odin nurses

Last week Odin was sick and nursed constantly but by the weekend he was fine again and although my body was confused, it quickly adjusted (although it was a pretty engorging pain the first day). A few days went by where everything was normal and suddenly, this past four or five days- Odin must be going through a growth spurt. All you mamas know how that is. It can be very tiresome and totally depleting of mama energy. I really just need to be reminded that this is normal. That'd be enough to keep me positive and keep my going.

sick babies and breastfeeding

Luckily for us, Odin's never really been sick. I truly believe it's because he's such an avid nurser. Even at 11 months, he nurses more than he eats solids and I prefer it that way. I want to believe that Odin's immune system is superhuman because of the amount of time he spends at the breast. Unfortunately, he recently received his first bout of sickness. He would sleep all day and scream all night for three days. His fever would bounce back and forth between 102.5 and a normal 97.8. It was so hard on all of us. I immediately had every possible doubt flood my mind. All the possible things I could have done differently as well as all of the possible outcomes. I have a lot of faith in the human body and if there was no internet or "friendly" advice, I truly believe this week would have been much less stressful. Sure enough after three nights of fevers and lots and lots of nursing- it's over. Odin's back to normal, giggling and shrieking and crawling around the house trying to bodyslam the cat. Mama's intuition is a powerful thing.

co-sleeping

This little almost-9-month-old is especially clingy as of late. He will only sleep if he's right against me, which is fine for the most part. The moment I move an inch away though, he begins to whimper. He's lucky he's so darling and I don't ever really mind having my arm trapped beneath his little body.

morning chiller

After a trip to the kitchen for a glass of water, this is how I found them upon my return.

good morning starshine

Little love wakes up and crawls over to his papa to cuddle. He stares into the mirror and sees himself and his little family staring back and he smiles. Another reason I love co-sleeping. I would never want to miss out on these early morning moments.

co-sleeping

I'll be writing a post for a co-sleeping collective blog soon, but this is one of the many reasons we love co-sleeping.

nursling love.

falling asleep, snuggling the boob. 

happy morning babe

First thing in the morning (usually, much too early) is when my little is the happiest. He wakes up giggling, looking back and forth between his mama and his papa and smiling when he catches our eyes. It makes the mornings a little easier, especially when Z and I would rather sleep in. Co-sleeping allows such a beautiful interaction in those early hours, I couldn't imagine not having Odin there first thing! 

Although little man is becoming quite the sitting up pro, he still quite easily loses his balance. I surround him with pillows when he sits on the floor and falling back seems to entertain him enough to distract him from frustration. Having a big bright glass door near his play area helps to entertain him as well. He loves being outside but loves looking outside almost as much.

sleepy squats

I love the way Odin sleeps. The way he bows his legs and rests his hands, especially the sleep suckle. I can't help but kiss his little sleeping hands and face and tickle his precious little toes! It's a problem, but I'm so entirely in love with him and I love it. 

Sleepy Feet

I love that while Odin's falling asleep nursing, he uses my leg to rest his little feet on. It's one of the reasons I won't be able to give up co-sleeping or napping with him in general. Lately there's been a million things that I want to accomplish but he makes it oh so difficult to take advantage of his naps. (He's also teething and sort of demands I stay by his side, I should try wearing him through his next nap.)

Those little big feet are the cutest! (and HOW is my 5 month old fitting into 18 month sized pants?)

Perfection

This little guy is so perfect. I'm still so glad we bed-share even though he's getting pretty big pretty quickly and demands a lot of space. Sleeping between my two favorite boys every night makes every night so much more snuggly! (The way he naps right in the middle is too cute too).