Operation Breastfeeding Complete

Nathan is 9 months old. Incredible. After much contemplation, I've decided to stop breastfeeding. And guess what? Nathan could care less. I'm proud of myself for breastfeeding for 9 months. 3 months longer than with Ella. I thought breastfeeding was supposed to give babies antibodies so they wouldn't be sick as often. Then why has Nathan been sick more than he has been healthy? Well, I hope it was good for something! I'm a little sad, knowing that I will never breastfeed a baby again (unless some divine intervention occurs.) Nathan was already used to formula, since we supplemented with formula from the beginning. I will feel better knowing exactly how much liquid he is consuming, since it doesn't seem like it's enough. Nate had his 9 month appointment today, and the doctor didn't seem too concerned about it. He weights 19 pounds and is 29 inches long. Only the 35th percentile for weight, but again, the doctor didn't seem all that concerned. He's in the 75th percentile for height.

Nathan is doing some pretty neat things lately. He's getting on all fours and rocking back and forth. Crawling is just around the corner. Ella crawled at 10 months, so I figure I might still have another month or so of a sedentary baby. He grabs a toy in each hand and bangs them together. I gave him his first hair cut yesterday! He looks like a little boy...not so much a baby anymore. *Sniff sniff*

We spent the entire day yesterday in downtown Milwaukee, watching the Circus Parade. The whole state came to watch, I think. There were so many people. It was hot. I didn't enjoy it. But, like Joe says, everything we do now is for the kids! Joe's sister Liz and her boys joined us. The history of the parade is pretty interesting though. It hadn't occurred since 2003, and it probably wont happen again for a long time due to lack of funds. So...it might have been a once in a lifetime event. Ella clapped and marched in place to the music. She had a blast. We were sitting in chairs in the middle of a blocked off street, with the sun beating down on us. No shade. By the time we got home, we were completely drained. It was nice to see so many people gathering in Milwaukee to support the parade.

We've been trying to find new and exciting things to do on the weekends. On Saturday, we went to Grant Park, on Lake Michigan. They had a fun playground for Ella, which included a water table. She thought that was pretty cool. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and then walked along the beach, dipping our feet into the water.

I'm not feeling very creative in the writing department right now, but I hope you enjoyed the pictures!