The Nunez in Texas: Tonight is the night

Tonight is the last night I will breastfeed Elizabeth. Breastfeeding is coming to an end for medical reasons.

I guess that's why I haven't written anything in a while. Many things have happened with Libby, but I was kind of sad dealing with the fact that I won't get to hold her in my arms anymore, I mean, to nurse her.

I didn't wan to stop, but I have to. I prayed about it, and it's the right thing to do for many important reasons.

Anyway...It was difficult at the beginning because she didn't like the first formulas she tried, she threw up as soon as she tasted Enfamil, but she ended up liking Similac. She even smiles now when she sees I'm preparing the thing, and she gets excited because she uses a straw.

Baby learning to use the straw. She is a natural sucker :)

It was difficult at the beginning to give her the formula, time consuming because she never took a bottle, and she refused to drink it from her sippy. But now, she eats with us at the table, and if I want her to drink it herself for a little bit, she uses her cup with straw :)

Baby with her cup in the morning

Jumping like a log

She is very active, she's standing up everywhere now, the sofa, the wooden bench, the piano bench, the TV stand, even Mommy. She likes the Jenny Jump Up, and she is not very fond of the exersaucer anymore. I mean, she sits there if she has to, but I try not to put her in, she likes to move around all the time.

I'll have extra time with her tonight. I asked Emerson if I could put her to sleep, because he always does that, but I want to tell her many things. I don't want to cry anymore, but I guess I will.

I remember praying on February 10th, that she would drink her milk, that she would like it, and God answered my prayer that same day.

After being weaning her for almost 2 weeks, she's been drinking it no problem, and her weight and everything is fine. We had her well check last Friday.

I just want to rewrite what I wrote on my diary yesterday:

"I have two more nights of breastfeeding Elizabeth. It's the end of my first season as a Mommy, I guess. God has helped me focus on things that I have been blessed with, instead of focusing on what I won't have anymore. Like the fact that I was able to breastfeed my baby for nine months.

I never talked to her during the times I nursed her, and it could be very easy to allow temptations enter my mind. Thoughts like, 'I should've talk to her' or just feeling guilty over the fact that there were times where I honestly was tired of nursing her around the clock at the beginning. But I won't allow myself to do that.

I never talk to her because it was her time, our time, but I always watched her...

I always played with her.

I prayed for her.

I sang songs to her.

I squeezed her hard against my breasts until she couldn't breathe and she began laughing.

I saw her grow in my arms.

And I'm thankful, so very thankful, God. Yes, I am sad, very sad still, but I am very joyful. There is joy in knowing I did my best for my baby, for her physical nourisment at the beginning of her life, and now it's time to nourish her in other ways. {More to come}"

My 9 lb baby girl at 1 week

My 18 lb baby girl at 9 months

In other news, we pierced her ears!!! My sister offered to buy her earrings for her birthday, since everubody tells her her nephew is really cute :)

It worked out well, I was also tired of people telling me I have a precious boy!

As Emerson was holding her she cried when she felt the gun, and I felt awful... I felt terrible I would put my child thru such pain. Then I had to go pay fo the earrings, and when I came back, she had stoped crying apparently, but as soon as she saw me, she began crying again. She just needed Mommy's love!!

Ready to roll, but now with earrings

The world couldn't be a better place

Pretty, pretty Libby

Since she is very mobile now, I have to put her inside her new baby jail.

It's just an area between the bathroom, the laundry room and the bedroom. We've had that gate for a long time, we bought it originally for Dori many years ago.

My babies in jail

She also has begun to make many funny faces, mostly to Emerson. Like this one she began doing a long time ago, like she is about to sneeze, you can hear how she breathes in through her nose, like an angry bull or something.

She began months ago when she didn't like something we were doing, but now Emerson started to repeat the face to her, and she just goes on and one making faces.

Angry bird

She is also eating table foods which means I have to cook more, instead of just throwing whatever in the blender and freeze it, but I like cooking for my family and have diner together, with no TV, just us talking.

She always, always makes a mess and ends up grabbing her hair with all the food she has on her hands. Like this time that we were having pancakes, and you can imagine where the syrup was :)

If someone is reaping the benefits of Libby eating table foods is Dori, who cleans the carpet like a good vacuum cleaner as soon as the food touches the floor.

Oh, and she is also teaching Daddy how to play the piano. If he misses a key, she gets up on the bench and shows him how to do it.