Well, The Girls aren't handling the weaning quite as well as I hoped. I mean, they're not rock hard, hot and scary, but over the last 24 hours they've gotten firm and itchy. I started hand expressing a little to stave off any possible engorgement and hopefully that'll work. Now for the up- and downsides to weaning:
Cons:
Spontaneous Leakage
WTF? It never occured to me that I'd have to deal with this again, albeit on a much smaller scale. Too bad I had to find out in the waiting room at the car wash. I grabbed Delaney and held her in front of the telltale spots. Just adorable. Really.
Mood Swings
Last week I burst into tears over the strangest little thing. Yesterday I was the raging star of, "America's Got Bitch." Luckily I've found a cure for this affliction. Wine. Lots and lots of wine.
Cessation of Frequent Calorie Burning
Yep, those mocha latte's are going to start adding up now. If only I could jump back on the super-successful-if terribly-unhealthy "Diet Coke and cigarettes" diet that got me through high school. But that's not going to happen. I'm supposed to be the paragon of a healthy role model now. Um, pass the salad.
Pros:
Shopping
After more than two years of wearing huge, bulky maternity and nursing bras I get to buy pretty, sexy, bras without snaps again. I'm going to wait to see where The Girls end up as far as longitude and lattitude goes, but I can't wait!
Eating
Although I can no longer eat with wild abandon without gaining any weight, I can now eat and drink what I want when I want without thinking about it. That means, seafood and shellfish as often as I like. Peanut butter on occasion. And I can have a drink or two without worrying about how long it will be in between a glass of wine and my next nursing session. Bring on the margaritas and shrimp. Yippeee!
Cuddling
Even though we're not nursing any longer, Delaney's still totally into cuddling. She says, "Hold you, Mama!" at least 35 times a day. And when I scoop her up, she throws her arms around my neck and squeezes the life out of me. I'm starting to think this is even better than nursing.
The Beach, Baby
I'm leaving town! For the beach! With a friend! Sometime in the next month or two I'm going with my best friend to spend two nights at the coast lounging under an umbrella reading books, swimming in the ocean, eating seafood at fun joints and attempting to mix the perfect Mojito. The only thing I'll have to worry about for 48 whole hours is whether or not I've got enough SPF on. There will be sleeping in, a little bit of partying (Until the wee hours of 11 o'clock I'm sure.) and Jimmy Buffett on the stereo. Lots and lots of Jimmy Buffett! And, of course, the sound of my heart breaking ever so quietly as I leave Delaney (with her Dad) overnight for the first time. But, the beach! Oh, the sand and surf. I haven't seen the ocean since my wedding/honeymoon trip nearly three years ago. Baby, it's been too long.
Having just weaned, I hear ya on this. Although I didn't get engorged thankfully, I have started gaining weight. Ugh.
Posted by: Mommy off the Record | September 08, 2006 at 04:40 PM
More pros than cons is a wonderful thing. Hope you are having a nice visit with Wizzerbelle!
Posted by: MamaChristy | September 08, 2006 at 08:58 PM
Woo-hoo for the Beach! My friends and I take a "No Husbands, No Children, No Calories Counted" weekend like that once each year. We call it the What The Hell Sabbatical. While we are on the trip, the answer to everything is, "Sure, what the hell!" Chocolate at 10am? Try on another outfit? More wine? Cab instead of subway? Oh, there's a limo? *GRIN*
WTHS is an integral part of all our sanity. Memories of past events and anticipation of the next one can pull each one of us through the year without committing actual hari-kari. Have fun on yours!
Posted by: karen | September 09, 2006 at 07:26 AM
The pros far outweigh the cons! The mood swings come with weaning or not for most of us and the beach?? Well, that one is pro enough for all of us! Have fun and enjoy every blessed moment of freedom!
Posted by: tracey | September 09, 2006 at 10:58 AM
Wine right with you. And totally. Amen for the beach!! Have funnnnNNN.
Posted by: Mrs. Flinger | September 10, 2006 at 01:26 AM
If I weren't on the verge of being banned from wearing a bathing suit, I might really pine for the beach. Oh hell, of course I do! Have a great visit; it sounds wonderful.
Posted by: Texasbelle | September 11, 2006 at 08:27 AM
If I weren't on the verge of being banned from wearing a bathing suit, I might really pine for the beach. Oh hell, of course I do! Have a great visit; it sounds wonderful.
Posted by: Texasbelle | September 11, 2006 at 08:28 AM
If I weren't on the verge of being banned from wearing a bathing suit, I might really pine for the beach. Oh hell, of course I do! Have a great visit; it sounds wonderful.
Posted by: Texasbelle | September 11, 2006 at 08:30 AM
>> "the raging star of' 'America's Got Bitch.'
LOL! Have a feeling I'll be repeating that in our household (and starring in it myself).
Your posts on weaning, especially your description of locking eyes with Delaney when she nursed for the last time, were so nice...I'm fighting tears as I type. Baby A nurses just once now, in the mornings like Delaney did, and I'm sure the end is right around the corner.
In fact, The Wonderful Husband is trying to arrange for us to go to a conference at a Florida resort in November...w/o baby....
By the way, I can't believe you wore a nursing bra for so long! I chucked those things after about four months, as soon as my old bras remotely fit. Just flopped it out and used the underwire to prop it up for the baby!
- L
Posted by: Lea | September 11, 2006 at 10:14 PM
Wasting away again in Margaritaville...
just thought I would get it started for you.
the music and the drinking, of course.
Have a great time!
Posted by: Nicole | September 11, 2006 at 11:29 PM
May the pros increase and the cons hit the road! Enjoy that wine!!
Posted by: The Pajama Mama | September 13, 2006 at 09:42 AM