A Mom Like Me

I don’t know where the time is going but these days it seems to be travelling at mach speed. Somehow my precious little baby boy has morphed into an intelligent, independent little toddler, seemingly overnight.

For the past few months,  Tristan has been enjoying mama’s milk once a day before his nap. As I fretted over whether or not I should wean him, he slowly started doing so himself, cutting out a day here and there. After learning so much about the value of breastmilk, I finally made the decision to let him self wean, on his own schedule. As soon as I made that decision, Tristan apparently made his, and slowly but surely he went from nursing once a day, to once every couple days, and has not now had any in the last two weeks. I guess he’s done, and it feels right because we were both ready.

I *almost* wasn’t quite ready…

In the couple of weeks leading up to his weaning, I knew it was coming and desperately wanted a photograph to remember this period in our lives. I haven’t had one taken of Tristan and I nursing since he was an infant.  One weekend afternoon, I called Luc upstairs as I was putting Tristan down for his nap and asked him to bring his camera. He spent ten minutes taking pictures from various angles, getting artistic with his shots.

I came down stairs afterwards and Luc said, “I got some really great shots!” I excitedly picked up the camera to have a look only to find that THERE WAS NO MEMORY CARD IN THE FREAKIN’ CAMERA!  Of all those shots Luc had proudly taken, not one of them was actually captured.

Time went on and the following weekend (the only time I have a photographer in the day!) I put Tristan down for his nap and he didn’t ask for milk. Desperate for my picture, I asked him if he wanted any… to which he replied, “No.”

I came downstairs and cried. I cried not because he was no longer interested in mama’s milk, but because I didn’t get that darn picture.

The next day, Tristan asked for milk for the last time. Luckily for me, Luc was home and I called him up right away. I didn’t get the passionate photography session I got the first time around… but I did get my one picture. Now I can happily store the mammaries away for baby #2, feeling very confident that I did the very best I could for my little boy.

Around the same time that Tristan decided that he didn’t need mama’s milk anymore, his big boy bed arrived. I had nightmarish visions of my super sleeper returning to the routine of getting up several times a night, unsure about his new sleeping arrangement. Happily, I could not have been more wrong. Every day at nap and bed time, Tristan excitedly heads for his “big boy bed”, jumps right in, and goes to sleep! I couldn’t have dreamed of a smoother transition.

Saying bye-bye to the crib and to the milk has opened the doorway to another routine…. bedtime songs. We’ve always sung a lot but now Tristan specifically asks to be sung before he goes to sleep. His favourite at the moment is “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts, also the song I danced with my dad to at my wedding. The first few times I sang it, I seriously couldn’t make it through without crying. 🙂

“My Wish“

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you

And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window
If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you and the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you find God’s grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish.