our day at the park.. (last week)..

Hello my name is Jaymeson and I like to swing : )

sometimes all alone...

or sometimes with my mommy...

or sometimes I like to slide with daddy...

or take a break for a picnic...

then it's back to crawling with daddy...

then ending our adventure by going on the tire swing with mommy...

My mommy and daddy are the best when it comes to adventures : ) 

- love Jaymeson

I LOVE THIS... A letter from a momma to her daughter..

I Will Not Nurse You Forever

by SARAH on MAY 5, 2012 · 

Dear Daughter,

You are only three weeks old and so no one really asks yet about your weaning time.  Those questions will come later, along with the many and varied opinions about when you should be weaned. Having been through this twice before with your older brothers, I already know the answer to this.

Let me share a secret with you. Weaning is misunderstood. It views nursing as an act with a beginning and an end where the end is chosen and a hard drawn line in the sand. It’s not like that.

Nursing is a part of motherhood, of parenthood. It blends in with all of the other things and it fades in from the obligations of pregnancy and then fades out into the series of obligations of a parent to their growing child.

There was no hard drawn line for the start. Even before your birth you drew from my body. You grew within my womb. You were nourished from my placenta. I was your life support system and home while you prepared to be born. It was when you were ready to be born that you signaled to my body that it was time, and it was then that labor began.

Moments after you were born. You squinched your little eyes at me and bobbed your head around and fussed because you understood that there was something to be done, but not what to do.  Instead of sucking, you chomped down. Then you pulled your head back and mewled. We worked together and gradually you learned what to do. And a few days later you stopped biting and set into an easy pattern of nursing that allowed my cracked nipples to heal and my milk to flow.

I do not know the moment that you were conceived. I do not know the moment that your cord stopped pulsing. I do not know the moment that you stopped chomping down and began to nurse.

Some day you will no longer need the sustenance from my body, your suckling reflex will fade away, and instead of turning eagerly toward my breast you will do as your older brother does now as I am writing this. You’ll turn your back to me and curl into my arms in a different way, and you will comfort yourself to sleep with my proximity rather than my breast. And then on another day further into the future you will be even more independent still and instead of curling into my arm you will use my belly as a pillow while you talk to me about Kindergarten friends, as your oldest brother does. And then you will walk back to your own room and your own bed, and you will fall asleep on your own.

I do not know the moment that you will stop nursing. I do not know the moment that you will stop comforting yourself to sleep with the closeness of me. I do not know the moment that you will move off and be fully independent with a life of your own creation. I know that you will do each of these things when it is time for you to do them. And I know that I will smile with pride at your independence even if I want to hold on a little longer.

The commitment that I’ve made to you is life-long. There is no hard start, no hard ending, no fading away of obligation. There is no “weaning” that I plan on doing. There is you. There is your quest for independence. There are the needs that drive your little body and that will fade and change with time. And there is me. My job is simply to be here and meet your needs as you have them. I need neither to push you away nor hold onto you, as you will peel off or cling close according to your needs.

You already have that drive for independence and will take it eagerly at your own pace. Weaning is not something that I need to do. It is something that you will do as an inevitable part of growing up and of life.

I will not hold you back, and I will not push you away. I will not nurse you forever, but I will always be there for you and I will always love you.

<3 Mama

Who am I?

I sit here and think about the type of parent/person I have become and it surprises me (in a good way). A year ago I was 6 months pregnant. I thought "I am going to TRY to breastfeed for 3 months". I thought Jaymeson would be sleeping in his crib right after birth. I never would have attempted cloth diapering. And I planned on going back to work full-time... but who am I?

I am breastfeeding an 8 1/2 month old who shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. I am "bed sharing", meaning that Jaymeson sleeps right next to me and always has and always will (until he wants to sleep in his own bed). I cloth diaper and LOVE it. And I only work less than 10 hours a week. 

I LOVE being at home. I would rather be with Jaymeson then have the worry of him with someone else. I love our family and I LOVE LOVE my amazing husband who supports every single decision and parenting choices we have made. He LOVES everything we do for and with our son. I can't even imagine having a partner who didn't support my choices. 

I have been finding passion in photography and crafts. I love everything about our life and can't imagine things being any different. 

I am a peaceful, attached parent and every day I see the love and joy on Jaymeson's face that screams "THANK YOU MOM FOR LOVING ME SO DAMN MUCH!" 

Another month gone

Well another month has gone by... April was a great month, we were very busy in the Bruce household. Jaymeson and I went on many adventures. We went to greenlake, tulip festival, woodland park zoo, interurban trail, swimming at the lynnwood pool, and more! It's been fun getting out of the house and enjoying ourselves. Some parts of me wish that we would have started doing more while he was younger, but then I look back on how hard times were and how exhausted I was and think that everything happens when the times right. Even now I get exhausted when we go on adventures but I am soooo used to it now that it doesn't bother me. Not to mention how great jaymeson does makes it totally worth it. What's new? Let's see here, as far as jaymeson goes, he has 6 teeth, two on the bottom and four on the top. He is a full blown crawler. He can stand for LONG periods of time while holding onto anything. He will even walk his hands up a wall and just stand there proped against the wall. I am not sure how close to walking he is, we don't push him, we just let him do his thing. He is 8 months and 1 week and Justin and I are thinking he may be walking by 9 1/2 months.. We will see! This Friday I go back to work. I transferred to the Marysville PETCO, it is much much closer to home. I am only going to work once a week to start. And then two days a week later. While I am working my good friend Kendra will be watching jaymeson and her daughter Tegan. Tegan is 3 weeks younger than jaymeson. Also, every Wednesday I will be taking my turn and watching both jaymeson and Tegan. I can't wait to watch the two really get a good chance to interact. It will be a good test to see how I do with two babies! Of course it will be more like having twins but it will still nice to see how I will juggle feedings and naps.. Lol. Oth than that, we are just getting ready for an amazing summer to come!

Crazy buysy weekend

Where do I even begin??

Well Saturday was St Patricks day. I made homemade Irish Soda Bread, and then the three of us went to Lynnwood to have a good ol st pattys day feast with Tauna, Greg, and little miss Ainsley. It was really fun and we had such a good time watching the babes interact. Ainsley is just over 4 weeks older than jaymeson. They had a good time sharing toys, taking toys away from each other, trying to steal each others binkis lol. It was just perfect! It was also fun just hanging out with another couple and their baby. We don't have that happen by often!

Sunday was Justin's 25th birthday. I made a Mexican feast and we had family over. It was perfect. Then we went out for a our first date since jaymeson was born. We went to the casino and Justin lost $70 dollars but I won $150 so it was a good time. We were supposed to be gone for 4 hours but after only an hour and a half we decided to go home to be with our baby boy lol.

That night came great news! Two of my friends were in the hospital having their babies! One of them was due on the 25th and the other the 27th. But both babies came early! So on Monday we had a big adventure!

First we went to visit baby Isaac. Bekah did a great job! She birth Isaac all natural and only had a 7 hour labor. Then we made our way to Edmonds to meet Baby Bradley! He was so tiny and perfect, yet surprising weighed 9lb 11oz! Both babies were smaller than jaymeson of course lol.
Then to finish the night off we went to Justin's parents house to celebrate his moms bday. We had a great dinner and a delicious cake made by Shelley. Jaymeson was showing off all his moves for everyone :-)

All in all, busy but awesome weekend!!

Nap time :-)

I sure do crack myself up. I just put jaymeson down for a nap in his crib for the very first time. And what am I doing? Sitting here watching him on the baby monitor lol. And he hasn't even twitched in the last half hour. Lol. He has fallen asleep playing in his crib a few times but this is the first time I actually put him down for a nap in there. Oh dang, now he is up and crawling around lol. Well I guess we will see if he goes back to sleep!
He has had a long week of forward crawling and teething. Little man I s growing up so fast!

Facebook connections

I love Facebook for so many reasons. I have connected with people who I never knew I had anything in common with. I have found friends that I hadn't seen since elementary school. And I have stayed in contact with family and friends who have moved away...

But....

I have also realized that some connections/relationships have grown weak and I feel Facebook is to blame. I am, for the most part, a stay at home mom, so I am constantly posting pictures of jaymesona and posting updates on how he is doing and whats new. I have realized that some family and friends have decided that this is all they need to stay updated. No more phone calls, emails, texts, visits, because they can feel "connected" from my Facebook. And I am just sick of it. We moved to Stanwood, not China. So if people want to see jaymeson, or know how he is doing, they need to stay connected with ME, not my Facebook page. So I am making a new resolution to myself. I am going to step away from Facebook and post less. My goal is to only mobile upload 1 picture of jaymeson a week. And only post VERY important moments in Jaymeson's life. Other than that I will keep my blog updated with our lives every few weeks.

What does this mean???

Time to pick up the phone or hop in the car :-)

Okay enough said.. Time to get ready for ZUMBA :-)
P.S. I am loving Zumba and look forward to it every Wednesday!

6 months old

Hard to believe that my handsome man is 6 months old. It feels like just yesterday that I was in that tub, giving birth to the most beautiful baby ever! I love him so much. I am already so proud of the loving, smart, determined little person he is.

Happy 6 months my love!

Time to trim up!

This is the plan I am doing to trim up my post pregnancy belly fat!

42 best ways to lose stomach fat..

1. Make a plan..
Before you do your first sit-up or dump that Cola down the drain, you need to make a plan for your weight loss. Losing belly fat takes some work, and you have to put together a realistic plan you can refer to once you start your weight loss program.
You’re not going to lose all the fat around your waist in 3 days, and you will definitely need to break some sweat before you achieve your goal.  Just remember, that it’s completely doable and if you put a bit more time into it and keep implementing these best ways to lose stomach fat fast, you’ll get the body you wanted before you know it.
So, just make a realistic list of things you are going to do to start losing that stomach fat (by picking minimum 10 ways to lose belly fat described below), add 3 deadlines you could use as a check point (for instance, 1, 2 and 3 weeks after you start your weight loss journey). Once you have done that, make sure you are consistent with the routines you’ve chosen, make notes, to see which changes you are sticking to and which are giving you problems. Replace the ones that just don’t work for you with new routines from these 42 ways to lose belly fat fast.
Remember to check your progress weekly and add 3-5 new ways to lose stomach fat every consequent week.  If you follow the instructions from the above, you’ll lose that stomach fat in a matter of weeks!

2. Carry water with you everywhere you go..

3. Color your plate!
Did you know that the more colorful your meal, the more healthful it’s likely to be? Think about it: carrots, peppers, spinach, tomatoes: they’re all brilliant colors, and they’re all very healthful choices! Keep your plate colorful and you’re well on your way to losing that belly fat!

4. Cut out fast food.

5. Cut out soda.

6. Weight baring exercises.
If you think you’ll need to spend the rest of your life doing sit-ups and crunches only, so you can burn belly fat and keep it off, that’s not quite true. You’ll need to do all sorts of exercises, in moderation, including weight bearing exercises, like brisk walking, jogging, and the like. Remember, overall fitness and nutrition is the key for losing stomach fat, and making sure it doesn’t come back!

7. Non weight bearing exercises.
In addition to the weight bearing exercises to help you burn belly fat, you’ll also need to add non-weight bearing exercises, like biking and rowing. These two (weight bearing and non-weight bearing), combined with weight training and cardio, and some yoga thrown in for good measure, will give you a lifetime of fitness and good health — and of course will melt that belly fat away for good!

8. Don't be complacent.

9. don't starve yourself either.

10. don't deprive yourself

11.Don't give up

12. Don't isolate.

13. Drink a glass of water before you eat.

14. Eat 5 small meals a day.

15. Wait 20 minutes after eating to feel full.

16. Get the right fit.
No matter how thin you are, if you’re wearing jeans that are too small, you’re going to have unsightly muffin top — so make sure you have the right fit, even if it means going up a size or two, and you may not need to burn as much belly fat as you thought!  Now, this is probably the easiest way to “lose” stomach fat fast, but bear with me, there are many more ways that will actually require action.

17. Get your cardio going.

18. Set specific goals.

19. Ignore commercials for losing belly fat.

20. Ignore the scale.

21. Know your portions for meals.

22. Maintain posture.

23. SWIM.

24. Read labels.

25. See a professional. Doctor & personal trainer.

26. Strengthen your core.

27. Substitute sweets.

28. Push ups

29. Reverse sit ups.

30.Work with friends and get support.

31. Eat frequently.

32. Never skip breakfast.

33. Keep track of meals.

34. Eat slowly.

35. Do exercises effectively

36. Stay hydrated.

37. Get more sleep.

38. Cut out or down on alcohol.

39. Take the long way to do things.

40. Reduce salt.

41. Decrease stress.

42. Stay motivated.


http://allwomenstalk.com/12-best-ways-to-lose-stomach-fat/

Slacking...

Okay I have been slacking with my blog. I will try to get better at this! Lol

So mr jaymeson is almost 6 months old! He will be 6 months next Friday. Time has sure gone by fast! He is growing like a weed.

He still has the same two teeth but they are huge! And for the last four days he has been biting me like crazy. I dont know what to do. I have tried all the suggestions online but nothing is working. His teeth are so dang sharp too. This morning he bit me so hard I really needed a "break" but what can you do when you are the only one home? I made it through it though and now he is down for a nap and I am relaxing.

He is also "crawling". I don't know if that is the right word because he isn't just going forward on hands and knees but he gets up on his knees and rolls around on them and can go anywhere in his room and all over the living room. In a matter of seconds he gets very close to bonking his head MANY times a day lol. It is exhausting. I would have to say that age 4 months was MUCH easier. Lol.

He is also starting to really enjoy food. He LOVE banana, blueberries, mango, cantaloupe, pears and sweet potatoes. He also has a great time munching on his little organic rice crackers. There are TONS of things I can start giving him at 6 months, I can't wait. Even though he is eating I am still keeping him on breast milk until he decides on his own to give it up. I think I will start mixing in rice cereal around 8 months. So many people say "give it to him now, he will sleep better" but it's not about ME it's about him. So if his body isn't ready for it then I am not going to push it.

Let's see what else... Oh he is not in his big boy car seat. He was getting so squished in his infant one.

Everything in the Bruce household has been interesting since Justin got his schedule change to first shift. It has been a difficult switch but "we can see clearly the rain is gone" and know that it will be better in the long run. Jaymeson seems to enjoy it though and has been going to bed earlier and earlier.

A couple weeks ago we went to the Buddhist temple for the first full moon after the Chinese new year celebration and it was AMAZING!! Our goal is to attend a "northwest" event every month. Meaning something fun that gives us culture. So for March we will be goin to the Penn Cove Mussel festival. We went last year and it was super fun! Can't wait to go again.

That's all for now!