splish splash wean

I had not intended to lead off all this 365 stuff with two pictures of Eleanor but that is how it has turned out.

She really enjoys bathtime now, after months of finding it perfectly miserable. The toys helped. Better splashing with toys than just hands.

In other news, my trip this weekend has been canceled. It would have been fun, but also hard at times and probably exhausting. I'm feeling pretty mixed about not going. I was looking forward to a change of scene but I also know that hotel rooms with babies are a challenge.

I guess what I am really looking forward to is being able to travel without a child, to having my body back, to less dependency. That means weaning. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look forward to that day, and then immediately feel horribly guilty for letting those kinds of thoughts into my head. As with Oliver, weaning will be on Eleanor's schedule. I have no intention on introducing formula at this stage of the game. I do think she is not going to move towards weaning as quickly as Oliver did. She has had Mum all to herself, no bottles at daycare. She gets worried about strangers sometimes. Sometimes only Mum can solve whatever problem she is having. Oliver learned early that comfort could come from a variety of sources.

Since we started trying to get pregnant the first time, around May of 2004, my body has not been my own, with the exception of May of 2006. The rest of the time I have been either trying to get pregnant, pregnant, or nursing. 31 months and counting, if my math is correct. I get envious of CD when he has business trips. It's not just having to handle kids on my own, it's knowing that he has a few hours in the day of complete flexibility. Yeah, he works like crazy when he's away, not unlike when he's at home, but he has time that is all his own.

It's probably a case of "the grass is always greener." Once Eleanor does wean I will miss that time and what we have shared, especially since I know she's the last baby.