You're Always a Weaner at Pedro's

I'm officially done.

I'm so happy about it, I could do a little dance. [little dance] There, I just did.

I'm not sure if it's technically called "weaning" because Lumpyhead never really nursed, but I'm no longer dealing with that effing breastpump. (Don't get me wrong, it's a perfectly nice pump, but I'm glad to be free of the thing.)

So, I guess now I can expect the mood swings, full-on postpartum depression, and weight gain. I'm ready. Bring it. I can drink caffeine with impunity, and no one is dependent on this body but me. Woo fricken hoo.

I'm going to have a guilt-free martini tonight, and not worry about waiting however many hours before pumping again. We're going to a wedding this weekend, and it will be the first time in a year that I don't have to pack the Medela with its power cord and battery pack and car adaptor and shields and valves and storage bags and bottles and wide-mouth converters. It's fan-flippin-tastic.

Lumpyhead still has a huge hoard of frozen milk, but I'm not sure if we'll feed it to him or send it to the milk bank. He's old enough for cow's milk, and I feel he's gained nearly all of the benefits from mother's milk he's going to get. When he was younger I believed strongly that what he was getting from me was best for him, but at this age I'm not so convinced. He's getting most of his nutrition from solid food now. Three-month-old frozen milk may be arguably better for him than cow's milk, but I can't believe it's significantly better. The babies who rely on milk from the bank probably need it more than Lumpyhead does.

I wonder if Lumpyhead has an opinion. I mean, the milk is his, so if he wants it, he should have first claim.

I want him to plump up a little - I fear he's still in the lower percentiles for weight and height because his bottom issues kept him off solid food for a while - so if I could give him melted butter in a bottle I would do it. I'm not sure if cow's milk has more calories than breastmilk, or if we should give him formula, or if his growth is just fine and I should stop worrying about it already.

We'll ask his pediatrician, I guess; the one-year appointment is right around the corner. In the meantime, Peter is busy making plans for all his soon-to-be-released freezer space. He's thinking about getting a side of beef or a whole pig.

I'm not kidding.

Oh, and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a picture of that damn billboard. I googled for a good twenty minutes. I finally stole it from here.