No more mummies

I joined a local La Leche League group when Avonlea Jane was almost two months old, and about a year ago, I started the process to become a leader within the group. I completed all of the necessary education and training this spring, and at this year's two-day Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont LLL conference was officially welcomed as a new leader. 

Coming up to grab my new leader candle

With the other three new leaders from MA/RI/VT

David was contacted by the conference organizer to see if he would lead this year's session on fathering. David has been deemed by many as the ultimate LLL dad. 

I'm with my some of my fellow Danvers/Hamilton leaders: Ajna, Linda (retired this year), Maire (retired this year), and Donna. Those leaders who are retired are only retired from our group, they both still hold LLL jobs within our tri-state area. Now that I'm officially a leader within the area, I'm on the MA/RI/VT publications team, and will most likely be taking over the lead position this summer. 

This year's conference about breastfeeding and parenting came at an interesting time for our family, as Will finished nursing just a couple weeks ago. Just like with Avonlea Jane, it was a gradual process of dropped and shorter sessions until it was said, "Oh, we don't do that anymore." With Avonlea Jane, she fully weaned on the Thanksgiving a few weeks before Will was born. We were down to bedtime only, but after standing up all day in the kitchen, I was too tired to lie down next to her, and I asked her if we could skip it for the night. I didn't happen to be the one doing bedtime for the next couple nights, and by the time I was on duty, we didn't nurse anymore. 

We don't have a lot of nursing photos of the kids, as I'm the one who takes most of our photos. Here's the oldest nursling taking a little break on a hike in Michigan. 

We were slightly worried about how Avonlea Jane would react to a nursing baby brother after having just weaned, but she was thrilled. In many ways, she and Will did have a tandem nursing relationship. She would sit with her head on my chest and watch him nurse while talking to him, and when he was a little older, they would spend that time stroking each other's faces. We think this is a big reason for why they are so close today and haven't had any sibling jealousies.    

We had been talking about when Will wouldn't nurse anymore for a while, and he'd asked for a "no more mummies" cake when it happened. Will was down to naptime only, but he doesn't nap at home every day. I was at a meeting, and someone asked if he was still nursing. It wasn't until that moment that I realized he hadn't nursed in over a week. We decided it was time for his cake. Avonlea Jane told us she wanted a rather realistic two-domed cake with pink frosting and cherries on top to look like mummies. Instead, David made a much more modest brownie with whipped cream, though Avonlea Jane insisted upon the two berries for William. 

After he took a bite of his cake, he put down his fork and asked, "When's new baby coming?" We weren't sure what he was talking about until he said, "Baby sister. Willie wants baby sister." Then he and Avonlea Jane both started chanting "Baby sister! Baby sister!" Apparently, he hadn't nursed for a week, because Avonlea Jane had told him if he stopped nursing, not only would he get a cake, but Mommy would have a baby right afterward. That was what she got instead of a cake. 

It's taken a couple weeks to explain that there is no new baby. However, Avonlea Jane still talks of, "Okay then, in a year when we have a new baby . . ."