Why Breastfeed?

Milk of Kindness
Breastfeeding helps babies learn to love not just their mothers, but God.
By Juli Loesch Wiley
If God Almighty came to you and said, “I myself have designed a special food that will strengthen your baby’s body and develop his brain, which will comfort him and cheer his heart, and lay the foundation for his lifetime health and well-being. I have given this food into your keeping; I have placed it in your body; it is my loving provision for your child”—who would reply, “No thanks, no divine gifts, I’d rather give him a can of Similac”?
Personally embodied nourishment is not only good for the body; it is good for the soul. It is (as some Christians would put it) proto-sacramental.Mother’s milk promotes sanctity? From the infant’s point of view, yes. Look at it this way. What are we here for? What is the purpose of human life? It is “to know, love, and serve God in this world, and to be happy with him in the next.” It is to love and to be loved.And how do young humans learn to love? One would think this would be one of the core concerns of theology: studying, with sustained attention, on our knees, the process by which a child learns to give and receive love.How does the child learn love? Where are the foundations laid? At his mother’s breast.
According to the research brought together in Fr. William Virtue’s philosophically rich and cheering book, Mother and Infant, breastfeeding teaches the tiniest infant some immensely important lessons: (1) that the universe is good; (2) that he has personal power: the power to elicit a response; and (3) that his deepest needs and appetites can be satisfied in a committed relationship with one loving person.
Did I say “the universe”? From the infant’s point of view, yes. The newborn’s sight, generally hazy and undefined, is designed to come to a focus at one specific distance: 8 to 12 inches, not much more and not less. Why 8 to 12 inches? Because that’s the distance from a nursling’s eyes to his mother’s face while he is being cradled at her breast. Increasingly, within weeks of birth, he’s not looking at her breast. He’s looking at her eyes.She fills his whole range of vision; she satisfies his hunger and thirst, succors him with warmth and comfort; the timbre of her voice (the higher female tone) is precisely the range of frequencies his ears are fine-tuned to hear. She is his universe: To the nursling, she is the Immensity.
Breastfeeding is not just a connection between a mammary gland and an alimentary canal.
It is a relationship of a person to a person. It is not just nutritive. It is unitive. If it is wrong deliberately to sunder the unitive and procreative powers via contraception—and I am convinced it is—then I would also argue that there is something wrong about separating the unitive and the nutritive powers via the artificial bottle-feeding of the young infant.I don’t say that every use of a baby bottle is intrinsically immoral, as a contraceptive is. What I do say is that if a mother knows the physical and spiritual benefit of nourishing her baby at the breast, knows that her child has a right to her milk as a proto-sacramental gift of embodied love, and is able to nurse (even at a considerable personal sacrifice)—but chooses not to—she has greatly wronged her child.And if a woman does not know about breastfeeding, or is made incapable of doing so by grave familial or social or economic pressure, then, in her education or in her circumstances, she has been greatly wronged.“It is thou, God, who took me from the womb, And kept me safe upon my mother’s breasts” So says the Psalmist (22:9), speaking prophetically of the divine care and protection to be enjoyed by the Messiah. And what mother, loving her own baby, would want it any other way?

New Hat, Swinging at the Park

Today we went to the park. Paul went in the swing for the first time and loved it.

Note too: the hat is a handmade by me :)

First Teeth

Paul has his first tooth, and a second one is close!
The first tooth is visble, the second one can be felt - both can leave a mark if you are brave (or silly) enough to stick your finger in!
:)
Sara

Spring is Upon Us.........

Paul is getting bigger by the day! Here are some pictures from over the last couple of months....
The most recent first and then some to fill in the gaps since the last posting.

The "patriotic" sweater is from my Aunt Bern - I had almost forgotten it and then we had a cool day in March and I went looking for something to put on Paul. It just fit, so I had to snap some pictures!

This is Mr Bright Eyes! watching what is going on in the room - he's very observant.

And when he gets excited, he is into waving his arms!

Over Easter weekend, we had family down on Saturday for lunch and then spent Easter Sunday with my family. Paul is getting so big! And cute! These are some pictures from Easter.... we had him all dressed up on Sunday in pants, a golf shirt and a vest.

We've started sliding him up to the table to eat now... Paul still eats lots of the 'usual' baby food, but has started eating regular food run through a grinder - today he ate turkey, broccoli and mashed potato in a white sauce - he really liked it. Yesterday he was eating Mexican skillet rice - a spicy dish with rice, ground chicken, chili powder, jalapeno peppers and pinto beans. He acted a bit surprised with the first bite, but then was ready for as much as I was willing to give him! I am so glad I don't have a picky eater.... although I have noticed he saves room for sweets - we had pistachio cake on Sunday and on Monday evening, when he was refusing all baby food, he opened wide for cake! Go figure! I wonder what his birthday is going to be like?!?

More soon,

:)
Sara

Paul is getting bigger

Here is a picture of Paul in my favorite little sleeper - the duck sleeper that Beth gave to him. I am sad because he has grown out of it - we decided to pass it onto Miriam..... I can't believe when we first put him in it he could draw his feet up to his body out of the legs - and now, we can hardly zip him up!

In the next picture - Paul is clapping hand while sitting on Aunt Mary's lap

The Meeting of the Cousins!

Mark, Paul and I traveled to NYC to visit Mary, John and Miriam this past weekend. We had a great time.

I was really worried about having to wake Paul up at 4:30am on Friday morning, but he did REALLY well, and didn't start fussing to eat until we were in the airport terminal waiting for our flight (around 5:45/6am) Not bad for a little boy! He ate and slept up to Dulles airport and then played around on a blanket on the floor until our flight to NYC. He did well on that flight, too.

When we got into NYC it was COLD!!!! (17 degrees Fahrenheit) and Windy. We bundled Paul up with double layers of clothing and a hat, and then tucked him into the Bjorn carrier and bundled my jacket around him - our body heat together helped keep him toasty.

We rented a car and then drove to Mary and John's. Then we all went out to lunch to Roma's cafe - a small restaurant a couple of blocks from their apartment.

It was interesting to see Paul and Miriam up close together - it is hard to believe that Paul is 6 months older than Miriam and that only 6 months ago, I was doing what Mary is doing now. Miriam sleeps alot during the day and is a little night owl. Paul almost never sleeps during the day unless I lie down with him but he is a champion night sleeper!

However, on this adventure - Paul did NOT sleep well AT ALL!!!! He is used to our house - with a cool 60F sleeping temperature and piles of blankets. The NYC apartment has radiators that keep the apartment toasty - we couldn't get Paul comfy for anything.

Despite lack of sleep, we had a great time together. Mary and I worked with Miriam and Paul to create a special surprise for grandparents - no more hints I don't want to ruin anything for them... and we all went out to Chinatown to eat on Sunday afternoon. Paul really enjoyed walking around the city (strapped to mom or carried by dad of course) and seeing the sights - he seemed really fascinated by all the colors and sounds and people.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the cousins....

We made it home safely, and Paul is back to his usual sleep habits -we are much relieved.

:)
Sara

Christmas with the Munday Family!

Paul was a little young to fill the elf hat - but I am sure next year will be another story!
We enjoyed hanging out with all the cousins/neices and nephew. Heather, Hannah, Sarah and Andrew were sweet as always.... I am sure Paul is looking forward to the days he can run after them and do what the big kids are doing!