There is a lot to catch up on from this summer! It was a pretty wonderful summer in the Pacific Northwest – the region that Seattle is in. There was a lot of sunshine and warm weather. And now that Semra is so comfortable walking and exploring we really took advantage of this beautiful place we live in. It blows my mind that Semra is going to grow up thinking that going to the beach and these thick forests is normal. Some of our favorite places this summer were the Olympic Sculpture Park which is an outdoor museum that ends up in a pebbly beach on the Puget Sound. It’s a huge and beautiful space that Semra loves to run around in. She also loves saying hi to all of the tourists and visitors and all of the diverse dogs that go to the park too. Then at the end she likes to sit on the pebbles and throw rocks into the water. She also loves going to Seward Park a 300 acre forest in the middle of Seattle. She runs down the path and then stops and stares straight up at the towering trees. She stops every time she hears a bird or sees some moss to pick up. She just loves it!
She continues to chat and talk. While her favorite word used to be “Hi!” it is now “No!” unfortunately. I realize this is probably because she hears us say “No” to her too often. Semra, I’m going to change your diaper – No! Do you want to go to daycare? No! Do you want to go home? No! The park? No! Is No your favorite word? No! Sometimes I sing this song to her (especially the “no no no” part 🙂 At least this gets her to smile. She likes singing.
Month 17 also saw the end of nursing. After 13 months of pumping at work (I stopped pumping at month 16), my milk simply dried up. Semra took it in stride. She would nurse and then look at me and say and do the sign for “More milk” and then I’d say and do the sign for “all done!” And then she’d just drink regular cows milk. She didn’t seem too upset actually. Later (and even now, at age 20 months), she’ll sometimes point to my breasts and say “all done” 🙂 I feel pretty good about it too. I’m so happy that I was able to nurse Semra for this long. Pumping at work is no fun- talk about a labor of love! I’m happy to have my body back, to be able to wear clothes without planning for pumping/nursing, to be able to go to work without carrying a ton of gear. I do miss it sometimes. Nursing (not pumping) can be the coziest, sweetest thing. Thankfully, our relationship is still full of cuddles and snuggles 🙂
teamenokakerem 