Weaned.

Tennyson is weaned.
My last baby is weaned.
I will not breastfeed again.

I tried to wean him several months ago when I got really ill and had to be on a lot of different meds, but even after eight-ish days, he was asking (not very politely!) for "boobie." I started him back up when I am pretty sure I was getting mastitis in both breasts, and he wouldn't drop the issue during an Imax movie at the museum.

It was such a blessing to have nursed him as long as I did (23.5 months). I had a very hard time in the beginning with Zooey, and if you remember, she weaned very suddenly all by herself. Before I even became pregnant with Tennyson I prayed that he would pick up nursing easily, that he would nurse for at least a year and that God would prepare us both for the time he would be done. God answered my prayer, and as He always does, answered in abundance. I am always touched at how much He loves me and cares about the little details of my life.

He last nursed January 1 before bed, and he told me they were "empty." The next night I reminded him they were empty, and while he was a little upset, he let it go easily. He didn't really ask after that. I had a huge sense of peace (unlike a couple months before), and in my heart, I just knew it was time. God is so good.

So, the chapter in my life of babies and breastmilk is closed, but the ending isn't something I would change or have any other way. <3 p="">

Less than an hour old

12/9/15, almost 23 months

Tennyson ~ 16 months

Better late than never, right? Tennyson is 16 months old! He is about 26.3 pounds, and I'm not sure how tall he is. Tennyson's become so, SO busy this last month. I feel like I look away for two seconds and he is on top of something new - kitchen table, kitchen chair, table in the living room, couch, computer chair - you name it, he's tried to climb it. He is a super ornery little boy, and I can tell he is going to give me a run for my money! He is going to be my stubborn (not that Zooey can't be stubborn) and strong-willed child for sure. He laughs - literally - in the face of danger, and he has already started throwing some pretty intense temper tantrums. He is also very sweet. He still loves to snuggle with me, and he will often times just climb on my lap in the living room and just "watch the room" with me for a good 15 minutes before he hops down to play again. He loves to give kisses and snuggles. He runs up to Zooey throughout the day, just to give her a hug.

Tennyson now:
- Is starting to run
- Has almost all his teeth - they've all popped through, and we're waiting on his upper molars and canines to come all the way out (painful week this week)
- Mimics most words and has about 35 words he uses consistently and without prompting (woohoo!)
- Does roomtime for independent play instead of IP in his crib
- Nods yes and shakes head no
- Folds his hands to pray
- Seems to be moving out of the separation anxiety phase a little bit. BSF and church mornings have gone a little more smoothly as of late

Tennyson loves:
- To scare his mother. Haha, just kidding. He loves to climb on things.
- trains, cars and anything that moves
- He's starting to enjoy being read to more, with me holding the book the whole time
- He's getting more interested in puzzles
- To do anything Zooey is doing
- Our cat
- Playing outside Zooey's school when I pick her up, chasing the big kids and exploring the rocks

Tennyson dislikes:
- Ah, we have reached the fun stage where he flips out when I pour water on his head during bath time
- Sharing. :)

Tennyson ~ 15 months

When I was doing all the "firsts" with Zooey, I honestly worried a bit about whether or not I'd be as excited to watch them with a second child. I have to say, I've been SO excited - just like I was with her - to watch my little man growing and changing and accomplishing all of his "firsts!" I am thankful that I don't completely.flip.out about every single illness/booboo/cry/separation anxiety episode like I did with Zooey, haha. That's pretty freeing!

Tennyson had his 15 month well check on Monday. He weighs a whopping 26 pounds and is 31 inches tall, and his head is 19cm. He is a big, sturdy boy! Ryan and I keep telling Zooey that she needs to be nice to Tennyson, because now he only weighs eight pounds less than her and is soon going to be able to tackle her and hold her down like she does to him!

Tennyson now:
- Is walking!! He started really trying on December 3rd.
- Loves to give hugs, kisses and snuggles. Ah, those wet, sloppy baby kisses - kinda' disgusting but they bring pure joy to our hearts!
- Climbs on everything he can. If Zooey's door is cracked, he manages to get in her room and climb on her bed. Once I found him about to climb on her dresser.
- Is talking so much! He's using more and more jargon, which is so cute. When he's nursing before bed, he often pops off to tell me a little "story." Sometimes he's serious, and other times he's giggling the whole time. I wonder what he's telling me about? :) Speaking of talking, his newest words include: "Baa" for sheep, "Vroom" for car," "cookie," and "bar" for his cereal bars.
- Can stack 2-3 blocks
- Colors with crayons (and also tries to eat them)

Tennyson likes:
- cars, balls, blocks
- books *see dislikes :) this kid....
- To do what Zooey does - coloring, playing doctor, fixing Mommy's hair, eating the same exact thing as her, playing outside the school in the rocks. You name it, if Zooey's doing it, he wants to do it. This includes not so positive traits like yelling, "NO!"
- The Christmas tree (what toddler doesn't find the Christmas tree delightful and tempting?!)
- pictures
- balloons
- rolling out of the trampoline onto the floor (I discourage this!)

Tennyson dislikes:
- Being read to, if it means he cannot have full control of the situation and hold the book. To him holding the book means closing it and opening it to the wrong page.
- When Mommy leaves him...yup, separation anxiety is back and in full force. Last week at BSF he cried for 20 minutes straight, because he could continue to see me and couldn't get to me. At church this week he cried for quite a bit, too. Fun times. :\

Still so snuggly

Silly happy scrunchy face

My daring little guy

nom nom

I don't think I mentioned his love for the tramp above, but he loves it

Big boy

Tennyson 13-14 months

My little mister has been a busy boy lately! Phew - are boys different than girls! Zooey is a very busy and active little girl, but she is busy in a different way (mostly very talkative!). Tennyson is very physical. He's not walking quite yet, but I'm still amazed. He is a climber, for one thing. Last week I was getting changed and left him in the hallway. When it got quiet, after about a minute, I went to find him about to climb on the top of Zooey's dresser from her stepstool! I'm constantly on guard these days. :) I've set up some safer ways for him to climb in the living room, one of which is putting pillows all around the trampoline and couch, so he can climb up and down. He loves it! He's so proud of himself when he gets on top of something. Tennyson also loves music! When we sing, he claps his little hands and babbles along. If it's a BSF song, he will say "God," which is so precious. His favorite song is the Tiny Tim Turtle song. He pats his hand over his mouth while saying, "bubble, bubble," then excitedly says, "pop!" at the end.

Tennyson now:
- has taken a couple steps
- says: hi, RaRa, Gideon, Bible, banana, ball, balloon, bubble, cheese, please (combined with sign), pop, God, "Ball" for Snowball, our cat
- can stand up on his own without holding onto something
- gives snuggles (lays head on your shoulder)
- blows kisses

He likes:
- food :)
- cars, the garbage truck (what is it with little boys and garbage trucks!?) :)
- animals
- He's started to sleep with a blanket, and he likes to cuddle and rub a muslin blanket while he nurses before sleep.

Walking is imminent! :)

He is such a little flirt with the ladies! He gives the sweetest bashful smile to them all. Last week at BSF, we came down the hall to leave, where we ran into a group of about 5 women. I stopped to chat for a bit, and they were all looking at Tennyson and talking to him. He was looking at them rather seriously, when all of a sudden, he got a huge smile, waved and said, "hi!" They all exclaimed how cute he was, and he just giggled at them. Oh my!

He's such a sweet little boy, and I'm starting to see what people mean when they say that boys have a special relationship with their mamas. He is so loving and has to have me in his line of sight a lot more than Zooey ever did (she's kind of like that with Ryan, though).

Tennyson is 12 months old

My little man is one! He is such a sweet little guy, and he is just the perfect fit to our family. His little personality is really starting to come out, and that is so much fun to watch! 

Tennyson now:
- says some words: bye, done, uh oh, Za (Zooey), "shhh"
- signs please and milk
- knows his tummy, diaper, nose, ears, teeth, hair
- Loves ALL food, even spicy food, like salsa! He eats as much (or more!) as Zooey.
- enjoys pulling pans and spoons out to "cook" and stir
- likes to try to put Zooey's headbands on his head
- loves when I stack blocks and he can crash them down
- gives hugs
- eats mostly table foods
- climbs steps
- plays "phone" with objects
- tries to put his shoes and hats on
- talks himself to sleep
- is still nursing!

His first birthday party was so much fun! Many of our sweet friends came out to celebrate Tennyson. The kids had fun in a bouncy house, and I enjoyed watching and talking to people. Just like his daddy, Tennyson just chilled in his highchair for most of the party to watch what was going on around him. He is so laid back. He did, of course, flirt with some of the ladies. He loved his cake and the cards.

Tennyson is 11 months!

I may refuse to believe that my baby boy is going to be one next month, but that doesn't change the fact that he is. :( Bittersweet!

Tennyson now:
- Weighs 22.5 lbs. as of last week
- Crawls pretty fast
- Pushes a walking-push toy. The way Tennyson does this is so funny and cute, because he doesn't just push and walk along with it. He uses his massive baby upper body strength (he takes after Ryan!) to push the toy out, hold the toy, then kind of drag his legs forward. It's comical yet adorable.
- Got another tooth, one of his lower lateral incisors, and as of today the other one is popping through
- Is beginning to use more jargon, especially when Zooey's talking or there's lots of conversation at a meal.
- Says "ba" for "ball," "kuh" for "cat," "give"
- Tries to sign "mother" and "father," but he just ends up hitting the side of his face. LOL
- Is trying to say "RaRa" and "Gideon"
- Knows what a lion, fish and duck say and tries to make the sound when asked...well, when he feels like it
- I think I forgot to mention last month that he pulls up all the time now. He sometimes cries in his crib when his teeth are hurting and looks at the door crying "Mama." Poor baby. That is just pitiful! That's also pretty much the only time he says "Mama."
- Takes 2 naps a day, sometimes only 1, but doesn't get TOO cranky and makes up for it by sleeping 13 hours at night.
- Tries to crawl off the bed and jump out of the shopping cart at the store. This is one of those areas I feel like he's different because he's a boy - Zooey never did this! One warning of "Danger" was enough for her.

Tennyson loves:
- Animals
- Books
- Balls
- Cars
- Following Zooey around and "talking" to her
- Nursing
- Gideon
- RaRa
- Swinging
- Beans
- Bathtime

Tennyson dislikes:
- Having his nose suctioned. I forgot how traumatizing their screams are.
- Having his face wiped.
- He still dislikes it when I leave the room...even to just run to the bathroom really quick.

This month Tennyson got in the toilet water after Zooey went pee and didn't flush. OH.MY.GOSH. I flipped out! I still don't know if he ate it. I'm believing he didn't, even though it's probably more likely that he did.

Tennyson was in a wonder week leap for most of this month, so he was a little cranky and clingy many days. I took to wearing the Moby wrap again just to get dinner made sometimes. :) Honestly, even though it was a little annoying, I didn't mind too much like I did with Zooey. I guess it's something about knowing he's my last one. The last few days of the month, he was out of the leap, and OH MY was he a happy baby! He was cracking himself and everyone else up! He was laughing and giggling at everything and everyone. I love it!!

I seriously fall more in love with this boy every day. He is such a sweet little guy. He is so laid back and not touchy at all...except about his feet and his face. Zooey can play with him and be what sometimes seems too rough, and he just laughs and laughs. He is a little flirt who loves to make bashful faces and crinkly faces at the ladies. He is kind of a mama's boy (and you know what? I kind of like it. :) ). I nurse him often, I'm more laid back about his routine. I know it will have to end, but I take pictures (I WISH I would've done that with her!!). I cherish my time more in the here and now with him, and I don't try to rush him through his milestones. I try to carry that lesson onto watching Zooey, too...I don't want to rush them. It's already going way too fast. I love watching Zooey and his relationship and how they both crack each other up and find so much joy in one another. Zooey watches out for him a lot and defends him to us. She'll say, "He wants you to hold him! Hold him!" or "Stop! He doesn't like that!" Tennyson likes to reach for Zooey's hand and hold it in the car. He tries to share his food with her. It's really so sweet.

I am praying for Tennyson to become a man among men who uses his life and his talents to serve the Lord. I pray that Zooey and he have a close, godly bond that carries through to adulthood. I pray that he will be a strong spiritual leader. I pray for his purity and his future wife, if that's God's will. I pray for him to be a man after God's own heart.

with his new lovey

A little clingy this month through the wonder week and teeth

First visit to the children's museum

Doesn't he look like he's plotting something devious?

Who needs toys when you have a box?

Sleepy, sick, teething boy. Love these snuggles, but hate that he doesn't feel good.

Lovin' the water!

Overalls

Popping up to say hello and take a break from trying to match all Zooey's tooth marks in the crib.

Love

Fun in the sand...and then he ate a fistful!

Exploring

Seriously, I wish I could've bought this hat, because it was the most adorable thing on him EVER.

Post-bath snuggly towel