Congratulations to you and your son! A very inspiring post .Thank you for sharing it.

I felt the same way when I was expecting our second baby.  All I can tell you is that the most profound thing about having more than one child is it gives you a glimpse of how God loves all of us and how each of our lives are important to Him. Never before in my life did that seem real to me until I had multiple children.  Now, I think I get it…I could never explain it or put it into words…but I get it.

I’ve had a similiar experience. A couple of weeks after my first baby was born, I was overwhelmed with the sudden rush of love I felt for him. I mean, it almost literally knocked me off my feet. I love my second child just as much as the first, but I didn’t have time to focus on the second exclusively 24/7 like I did with his brother. The feeling of love was as deep, but not as extreme. I think the difference is that the love I feel for my children is so different from the love I feel for other people that the feeling was overpowering the first time I felt it, but not the second time. But that doesn’t make the love for the first anymore genuine or real…it’s just different.

We felt the same way…how could we love another one as much as the first baby? Well, here we are 4 kids later (& one on the way) & I never knew I could love this much. Each one is unique & they all have their wonderful personalities & all of the little things they do, do not go unnoticed. In fact right now as a family we are in love with our 17 month old & all of the milestones he’s reaching. My oldest will come running into the kitchen telling me I need to bring my camera to see what Eli is doing…soo much love! The greatest gift you are giving that sweet baby of yours is a brother or sister who will be their friend for life!

Completley understandable.  I felt that same way.  When I was pregnant with our 2nd a good friend told me that having the second was hardest.  She was so right.  As a SAHM my schedule revolved around my first.  Now she would have to share me.  One thing we’ve noticed through the years (and babies) is that, at least in our family, the previous baby tends to gravite towards daddy and if there is one older than that they tend to gravitate back towards mommy and be a little helper.  Our 7th is almost 2 and we are ALL enjoying his little antics.  Like someone else mentioned, the older kids run to get the camera and they so delight in sharing in everything the younger ones are learning.  You will love both (or all) to the fullest and they will know that.  Siblings are a wonderful gift from God.  God Bless your growing family

I wondered the same thing when I was pregnant with my second child.  One very wise mother of many told me, “Love doesn’t divide, it multiplies.”  So true!!!

Since organic/free range meats can be cost prohibitive when feeding large families, we focus on getting most of our iron & protein from non-meat sources (grains, legumes, etc.).  You may want to contact a local farmer about purchasing a side of beef, chickens, etc.  You might consider splitting the cost of the purchase with another family/families.
Are there local farmers in your area who are part of community supported agriculture programs?
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

We found our most recent side of beef on craigslist; maybe you can find something that way.  Or ask around in your area.  Dh’s uncle has a kind of hobby farm and sells the eggs from his house, but that’s the kind of thing you find out just by asking someone who knows someone.  Also, not to discount what was in the films since I haven’t seen them, but I try not to get overly worked up about various scares since the majority of people in our country are living long and healthy lives.  Not to say there isn’t bad stuff out there in some places in the food supply, but there is also plenty of “info"out there that is just kinda loopy.

You might want to start with The Dirty Dozen.  It’s a list of the 12 most pesticide ridden foods that you should try to buy organic.  We have a large family and I try not to get too stressed about the whole thing because I wouldn’t be able to afford to feed them if I did.  But if you really want to make changes you might consider starting with The Dirty Dozen - I’m sure you could google it to get he list.  One thing they have on there is raisins.  Hard to wash pesticides off raisins.

I get my veggies from a CSA in the summer and fall, then try to hit farmer’s markets even in the winter.

You can try http://www.localharvest.org for meat and poultry.  Good luck!

I asked the Farmer who we buy our fresh hormone free beef from and he suggested that you call the closest butcher shop to you. These shops butcher for local farmers and know who sells a lot of their meat ( as opposed to personal use) These butchers can also tell you things like who they personally get their meat from and other inside information like who butchers younger animals as opposed to older and so on.

Prayers your way!

The “No-Cry Sleep Solution” book has some great suggestions for easing into good sleep habits! One thing it suggests is keeping a detailed sleep journal for your toddler so that you can see the progress you’re making. This helps you to stay consistent as you see the results of your efforts. It sounds like you’re doing great - if you pick a consistent routine and stick with it, he will learn to go down more peacefully.

If he’s falling asleep after only 5 minutes, I say count your blessings! It’s normal for kids to resist naps, but he’s clearly tired and I don’t think a few minutes of crying is a big deal. Just keep the routine, and eventually he’ll start to accept it as part of his day.

Some kids really do kick up a huge fuss out of tiredness.  Especially very active little guys.  They “hit a wall” as my husband says.  If he goes to sleep in 5 minutes, instead of crying for hours and repeatedly leaving the bedroom, then maybe he just has his own little way of decompressing before the nap.  A funny little way…

My 16-month-old has started this, too. I borrowed a trick from Supernanny (yes, I’m lame and insecure enough to watch her show for parenting tips), and it’s worked wonders. If he throws a fit because he wants to play when it’s time to eat, I say, “Do you want to play? You want to play. I understand.” I keep that up until he’s a little calmer, which doesn’t usually take long. Then I say, “We need to eat lunch before we can play. You may play after lunch. Would you like to eat your lunch so that you can play?” At this point, he usually indicates “yes.” Sometimes it takes two or three rounds, but he does calm down and do what he needs to. The theory is that the fit stems from the child thinking he isn’t being understood and that if you convince your child you understand, you can begin to reason with him, even at a young age. You can’t reason with them while they’re screaming, but you can once they calm down.

Hope that helps!

Since nursing is generally not a toddler’s only form of sustanance,I’m with the crowd that says one probably can go for an hour during mass without nursing. If for some reason one must nurse during Mass, I am with the crowd that states that one should practice extreme modesty and make sure to keep covered. I know I know, it is natural and Mary nursed Jesus, and I have heard it all but here is how I see it. We live in an age where people are rightfully uncomfortable and do you really want to be responsible for ( at the vary least) distracting others ? For a toddler of this age, I would personally institute a “no nursing in the pew” rule. If the toddler asks for or goes for nursing time, If your church has one,I would get up and move to a more private place. I wonder too, if your toddler is really in need of sustenance or if he is just bored and looking for some Mommy attention. Perhaps a promise of a special treat after mass would help him get through and put his attention on the Mass

I have ‘church weaned’ my two when they hit around 18 months, but only because both my boys disliked having anything near their faces when they nursed and would insist on pulling up my shirt! I still nurse my 21 mo in public very occasionally, but only when he is able to be compliant, and only in very informal settings. To tell you the truth, I really love being able to wear non-nursable dresses again!

If I saw you nursing in church I would most likely be envious that your toddler was being so peaceful. Mine likes to sprint out of the pew at every opportunity.

Right there with you!  In the past I public weaned the kids shortly after age 1.  But my 22 mo. old still nurses everywhere.  I know it makes people uncomfortable (unfortunate but true).  We sit up front so our other kids can see and since our church has pews on 3 sides - we’re kinda on display.  So, I never felt comfortable nursing him in the pew.  However, I have noticed that in that sort of setting where no one is looking directly at you that often times people don’t really notice - they might just think he’s napping.  So, basically,I try to be understanding of other people’s uncomfortableness, but I also nurse my son, just not as obviously as I used to.

My son, Jack, is 17 months old and only rarely nurses in church.  I would say the socially acceptable age probably depends on the people in your church and community.  There are a lot of people that belong to our parish, but it seems like there are not a huge amount of people that nurse longer than a year, so nursing a child in my church that’s older than 12 months is probably borderline.  But, the small parish I grew up in has a lot of bigger families and many of the moms nurse so in that church nursing up to age 2 would probably be acceptable.  Hope this all makes sense and doesn’t sound like I’m rambling!

My opinion about this is simple: Our Blessed Mother is our model in all things, and she most likely nursed our Lord until the age of 4 (tradition at the time), and there are many, many icons and statues of her nursing the Lord, with NO covering over his head and with a little breast showing—and sometimes the nipple!

So—nursing an older baby/toddler in a public way is something, it seems, Church art and Our Lady herself encourage. So do it if you want to.

I nursed all of my three in the pew to past the age of 2, and will with this next one. I only got asked about it a few times, and always smiled sweetly and said: “If it’s good enough for the Mother of the Lord, it’s good enough for me”—and then produced my copy of a picture of Our Lady of Plentiful Milk and Good Delivery (Mary nursing Jesus with the crown on her head.)

As much as I enjoy nursing, my rule is:  if the child is old enough to ask for it, and to start pulling up my shirt, then it is time to stop nursing in public.  I don’t feed my toddlers cheerios and juice in Mass, and at this age (16-20 months), I don’t nurse in Mass either.

I started church weaning my son when he was about 10 months old.  I think I’ve only nursed him in church once since he turned 1.  I can’t recall ever seeing anyone nursing a child older than 1 at my current church.  The congregation tends to be rather conservative culturally so I figure it’s best not to be a near occasion of sin (of annoyance or distraction) at Mass.  The mothers that nurse seem divided into those that nurse in church until about 1 and those that choose not to nurse at all in church, although I really don’t know how they pull that one off.  I do pack a snack if I suspect my now 16 month old will get hungry.

Poor thing! Maybe she’s just taking a nursing break. Being 13 months old is very exciting, and she might just be too busy. Tomorrow she might change her mind. Even if she doesn’t, you are her MOMMY, not just her milk, and no one can replace you. {HUGS}

I agree. Don’t panic. In first world countries, people are now living much longer than in the past, despite “all the chemicals and contaminants”.