The break up.

For the past 13 months, Julian has called all the shots with regards to breastfeeding (and let's face it, lots of other things, too). He never took a bottle, so it was just he and I. He and I.

He and I.

It shouldn't surprise me that he also decided that he was done nursing all on his own. No warning, just a "too busy to be bothered with this thing you're peddling" attitude. No thank you, Ma'am...we're all done here.

Who does he think he is?

I feel sad.

And a little offended. What do you mean, you're done? Don't you realize that you're the last baby I'll ever nurse? That there is usually slow weaning process that helps both you and I? Clearly, he missed this important memo.

But mostly, just sad. The kind of sad that makes you lose it and have the ugly cry.

Onward and upward, they say. Heave Ho. Carry on.

To my boobs:

Thank you (again!) for a job well done. You are small, but very mighty. This time around there was nary a clogged duct, for which I am grateful. You will be rewarded in due time with new bras (under wire, even!) that will give others the illusion of what you once were. Perky.

February update.

Greetings on this very cold, very snowy 3rd day of February. We finally received what we have been waiting for all winter - snow, and lots of it! The boys have been sledding, playing football in the snow, and more sledding. I am thankful for a decent sledding hill in our backyard that the boys enjoy, either by themselves or with the neighbor boys.

Julian continues to eat us out of house and home. At 13 months he just started waving and saying "ba!" for "bye." He also says "ba ba ba" and "ga ga ga" all the time. If I hold up a car and ask him to say "car" he says "ca," but I think he's mimicking what I'm saying as opposed to putting any connection between the two. Regardless, I love hearing his sweet little voice. When his thumb isn't in his mouth, brother has a lot to say.

Miles has been enjoying swimming lessons this winter. He is fearless in the water, which is a blessing and a curse. He can swim lengths underwater, but is unsure how to come up for air. He needs to start with the basics and learn how to tread water. He would be ready for a more advanced class if it weren't for that one little piece of the swimming puzzle. I plan to ask his teacher this week how we can get to that point. Maybe a few lessons one on one will do the trick. In addition to swimming, he's doing well at learning his letters at school. He can write his first and last name, which I think is rather impressive.

Adam also takes swimming lessons, and is learning about diving in from the side, stroke refinement, and breathing techniques. I hope he continues to like it, because I think his long and lean frame would be perfect for swimming competitively. We shall see. I'm hopeful he will be able to move up to the next level at the Y soon. He is doing well in school, and I couldn't be happier with his report card that was sent home on Friday. He tries his best, and it shows. :)

The Lego obsession continues. Both brothers can look at a set of Lego instructions and put sets together faster than I can. Where I am still looking at the picture, Miles and/or Adam is often steps ahead of me, waiting to turn the page. Oh, to be young and quick! Aside from the sets, I have been impressed with the creations both have come up with. Their imaginations know no bounds, it seems.

Last weekend we took advantage of Adam's winter break and headed out to Chicago for a few days. We toured the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium. Miles and I braved the Chicago wind and cold weather to track down and buy popcorn at the infamous Garret Popcorn. It was worth the walk, and Miles enjoyed having his OWN bag of caramel corn. Yum. The boys enjoyed Chicago style pizza, as well as the in-hotel breakfast bar. Their favorite part of the whole trip, however, was the pool, hot tub, and sauna in the hotel. They would have stayed there all day if we would have let them. Note to self: keep it simple with regards to future vacations.