+ No longer a pumpin' fool +
That's right. Today I "announced" to my fellow users of the Mothers' Room here at work that I am officially no longer pumping at work. You have taken to cow's milk enough and the sippy cup somewhat so that I no longer need to be pumping, The last couple of bottles I pumped are in the freezer since I'm not sending anymore either. I don't know what I'll do with those, but I'll give them to you sometime I guess.

I'm really surprised by how sad I am about this. It's silly, really. There are a lot of great things that come with not pumping anymore, not the least of which is the resumption of wearing "normal" clothes to work. Hooray for that! But it also means you're growing up in just one more way.

But at the root of it all, I'm exceedingly proud of myself. Not only was I able to breastfeed you for more than a year (and we're still going strong!), but I was able to pump from my return at 8.5 weeks postpartum until you were a year old. When I came back to work, I had ABSOLUTELY no idea what I was doing and/or whether or not it would actually work. I freaked out about my supply and how much - or little - I was able to pump. I got kicked out of the room they sort of set up for me next door and pumped in a bathroom stall for weeks. I finally got up the nerve to do something about it, and I almost single-handedly set up a Mothers' Room here at work that is still being used full-time by 4 other mothers. I just got a note of thanks from the Director of HR for that.

And so my sadness is softened by my gratitude to myself and my company. I can take the pump home tonight, sterilize it all and box it up for storage. And I can trust that when and if the next baby comes, at least this time I know what I'm getting into. And I know I can do it.

+ How quickly a year passes (and then some) +
I'm sorry I've been so remiss in posting. Forgive me?

So, going back... You had your birthday party on 2/15. It was a blast! Unfortunately the pictures we have aren't very good. But we had a great group of family and close friends on hand to watch you eat your cake. Now, that was interesting. We were all standing around, watching you expectantly, waiting for you to just tear into the cake and make a royal mess. Only it wasn't so dramatic. In fact, at first all you did was delicately pick the little sprinkles off the top. *sigh* My fault for putting them on there to begin with! Eventually you got into the spirit a little more and you ultimately did need to be hosed off in the shower. Silly baby.

You had a doctor's appointment on your birthday. It seems every time you have a doctor's appointment, you get sick first. What's up with that? You woke up the morning of your birthday with a low-grade fever and icky cough. As a result you got no shots (Oh, NOW I see why you do that!), which is unfortunate since you didn't get any at your 9-month either since you were sick. Now you'll have to get some extras at your 15-month, and an extra shot or two at your 18-month. Silly girl. Your exactly-one-year stats were: 19 lbs., 10 oz. (30%), 30.25 inches (80%). You're right on track for your development and you basically hated the poking and prodding at the doctor, which she assured me is also right on track for your development.

After discussing it with the doctor, we decided to go ahead and start feeding you "anything." Well, not anything, but any foods I would normally have avoided for their wheat (really, gluten) ingredients. We started you off with some Gerber banana cookies, and you've had some cheesy bread and crackers since. We waited until you were feeling better to start, so it's really only been a week or so of gradual ramping-up.

But you're eating full-blown "anything" starting today. That's right, today is your first day in the One's room, where all the one-year-olds go. They have a menu and eat regular meals and snacks together. I don't need to send food for you anymore. Hurrah! So far, your poop has changed only slightly. (Sorry Reader: TMI!) It's softer and yellower, but so far no diarrhea which is what I'm really watching for. I'm keeping an eye on your temperament too, since even the doctor said marked increases in irritability can sometimes be the only initial symptom for Celiac. Hopefully this little experiment is completely uneventful. This is what I've been waiting to find out since I took a positive pregnancy test. And why I've been so militant about our personal breastfeeding experience.

Anyway, that's the news from the homefront. You went to the Highland Games on Saturday and spent some time with Uncle Chris and Mason yesterday while Grandma and I went to a movie.

OH - and you're walking like there's no stopping you. I even saw you stand from sitting on Saturday morning. *sniff* Not a baby anymore.