I am home from Florida.

Penny is glad to see me. Dean seems aloof.

Discovered that my bedspread was pulled on the floor in the bedroom, in front of where the 2nd litter box is, and 1 or both of the cats peed on it multiple times. At least it looks like multiple times. I'm pretty sure the bedspread is stained beyond repair but I have it soaking and I'll see what happens. Not just one spot. But about a 2 1/2 foot space that was peed on.

Now I have to start figuring out how to break Dean (I know he's the culprit) of his behavioral peeing.

Not really the home coming I was hoping for.

Is the baby happy? Is the baby fed? Are you happy and comfortable and getting plenty of quality time in with your kid?

These are ultimately the most important things. Sometimes, the mouth and the boob just don't click. It happens.

I mean, I breastfed for what felt like a million years, but if the latch she had at the end had been the one she started with, I am not sure I could have made it two months. I want to cross my arms in front of my nipples protectively just thinking about it.

Ugh askye. I've been trying to use that Feliway spray to stop my cat from peeing on things. It seems... promising... but I forgot to spray my bed for a bit and after a week she peed on it again.

Emmett could not get a good latch on his mom. He was (according to La Leche) "a disorganized eater" and his mother's breasts were so full they flattened out the nipples. Also he was unusually active early on (like, physically turned over on the doctor's table at two weeks) so he'd pull his head away when he got excited about pulling in some milk. What else - he also had a tongue tie. All in all, it was an unceasing, stressful ordeal for all of us.

JZ, however, has very happy memories of nursing Matilda. So different babies and moms do better with different approaches. To paraphrase Jesse.

And though I do occasionally blame her for my allergies (jokingly)(mostly), 40-some years later, my brother and I are both thriving.

I think my mom breastfed and I still blame her for my allergies. Of course she blames herself for letting me roll off of a changing table for all of my back and hip problems. Neither of these things are true. We laugh about it. I don't know who to blame for my headaches. Tree sex and weather, mostly.

I am very glad you have Buffista parents to soothe and assuage your worries, Kate! I really look forward to meeting Rose and M some day!

Huh. We just had a small earthquake. That was unexpected. In other news,

1. David Attenborough's Frozen Planet arrived today. That's nice.

2. More significantly, we received word today that Biyi's parents' visas have been approved! This is step 1 in their quest for permanent visas. They can now stay in Australia for two years, and apply for the permanent visa while they're over here. Current plan is for them to come over in November.

Man, why did I wait so long to talk about this here??

yes. a question I ask myself often!

2. More significantly, we received word today that Biyi's parents' visas have been approved! This is step 1 in their quest for permanent visas. They can now stay in Australia for two years, and apply for the permanent visa while they're over here. Current plan is for them to come over in November.

They should totally bring Ryan to all their interviews.

Immigration Official: "Reason for wishing to immigrate to Australia?"

bt's In-Laws: "See this kid? He's our grandson. We want to see him grow up, not just have short visits occasionally."

Immigration Official: "Makes sense to me. That boy is so adorable, he makes me want to immigrate to Australia."

Kate, it has all already been said - but I am very glad you are getting so much support here. No one else has the right to judge you - you and your husband get to make the parenting decisions that work for your family. People forget that parenting is not about how right you are, it's about love and guidance. Coming from a family in which breast feeding is The. Thing. To. Do. I don't always remember that bottle feeding gives a chance for the Dads to get in on the meal-time bonding. That has to be a good thing.

Warm, comforting thoughts to all Buffistas experiencing pain today. Harvey sends his best purrs to you all.

Thanks again, everyone. You guys are the best.

Kate, I do agree that your baby will be happy and well adjusted if you wean her, but I want to add that I found people were very rigid when I was having trouble producing enough milk for Franny. The lactation consultants esp were the worst. It was all or nothing. But one NP was supportive and suggested I add a bottle or two of formula to supplement and the nurse for as long as I liked. And then just like that everything was okay. I nursed until 12 months but also used formula to make sure my kids got enough. I just didn't make enough milk on my own.

Ugh, I'm sorry you had to deal with people being judgmental. So far, fortunately, that's something I haven't really experienced. I have had a somewhat similar experience with the low supply. We started supplementing Rose with formula on day 5, at our pediatrician's insistence; she was down 16% of her birth weight and just screaming all the time, poor thing. So she's been eating mostly formula all along, and I've been nursing (and pumping, and taking herbal supplements and even medication) in an effort to increase my supply. I'm producing more now than I was before, but still nowhere near enough. So that's part of the problem. The other part is that, despite several lactation consultations and observations, she's still a difficult nurser. Everyone says her latch is good, but something about her technique isn't very effective, and often hurts me. Plus, much like Emmett, she has a tendency to pull her head away when she's excited or frustrated, or else she flails her arms around and pulls my breast out of her mouth. (You wouldn't think she'd have the strength to do that, but she does!) So nursing sessions tend to be long, ineffective, and painful, and then we have to give her formula afterwards anyway. It just doesn't seem worth it anymore. I'll still pump and give her as much as I can, but I'm not going to make myself crazy with it.

Sooon, I hope! I am v. broke right now, because I had to spend $1400 to have my terminal molars removed (not my wisdom teeth, my molars) because my mouth was too small to accommodate them. (There went my F2F money...sigh.)

Yikes, that sucks. But wow, that's crazy about your sleep apnea going away! Yay!

I really look forward to meeting Rose and M some day!

javachik, me too!

billytea, that's such great news about Biyi's parents! I'm so happy for you, and them, and Biyi, and most of all Ryan. What a lucky kid.