And hello to all of you! Any of you? Still out there? I haven't written a blog post since June! Well, defensively speaking, I've written several posts since then but I haven't completed or posted them. So... what's been going on for the last 6 months???
Sixteen teeth, a ton of new words, a few colds, a couple sleepless nights, nine trips by plane, lots of new friends, probably a million tacos, eight visitors, some boo-boos, a bunch of crazy adventures, about five thousand giggles and as many kisses as I could fit in. 2014 was our first full year in Austin and, gotta say, we love it. We traveled a bunch but we always enjoyed coming home. We have made such great friends here and there is always something super cool to do. We're still renting a house for the moment but are on the hunt for a place of our own. Texas Hill Country is looking pretty nice.
One big thing that happened last summer (July) was Amara straight up quitting nursing. We were nursing heavily and consistently 4 times a day - wake up/nap time/snack time/bed time. It was the day after she turned 15 months old; I went to nurse her before nap and she turned her head away with a totally disgusted look on her face. I offered again and she was adamantly opposed to the whole thing. It was actually making her upset when I offered. I tried again that night and again the next day. She never nursed again. I was heartbroken. It was so weird! She loved nursing, I loved nursing. I was actually thinking of weaning at the time because 1) I was nursing her to sleep and that's supposed to be a no-no (but who cares! I wouldn't change a thing) and 2) I was going on my first trip away from her in two weeks and didn't want to leave her high and dry. But I couldn't do it, I couldn't start the weaning process. So, she did it for me - cold turkey. It was a hard couple of weeks for both of us. More for me than her though. She was definitely confused by the whole thing and without nursing, there were a lot of gaps in our days; she also had to learn how to fall asleep without it. I basically just cried. For two weeks. It really took me by surprise, I mean, this was ultimately a really good thing. She made the decision herself, I didn't have to wean her and my trip was now going to be so much easier for both of us. But I was really sad and didn't know why, until I started researching a little bit. I learned that the hormone change when you stop breastfeeding is actually more intense than when you deliver your baby - which can have a serious effect on women, i.e., postpartum depression. The hormone change was especially intense because nursing ended so abruptly and so finally. We both adjusted after a couple of weeks and found a new routine - I still miss nursing her sometimes though. Then, it was time for me to go on my girl's weekend trip! Which was another HUGE (and much more awesome) thing that happened this summer...
I had the amazing opportunity to meet Mr. Oscar de la Renta and attend one of his incredibly beautiful runway shows in Lake Tahoe. It was his Resort 2015 Collection and it was stunning. This was my first fashion show and I was actually moved to tears by how ridiculously beautiful the show was. What an honor to meet Mr. de la Renta and a privilege to witness his genuine, gleaming smile and his truly gorgeous gowns in person.
As for 2015, Brad and I are looking forward to another year of watching our little girl grow into the incredible, admirable and completely fascinating person she already is. We want a million more kids! For this year though, we're working on one. Cheers & happy, happy new year!
