drool me a river

Man, this fluid is… flu-id!

The boy’s top two teeth, center, have poked through, the two flanking are sliding into position, and his shirts are soaked through.

I decided a long time ago to pretend it’s my saliva anyway, and therefore not gross. I mean, given where he’d been, once upon a time, inside me in a pouch of his own pee and all.

Today I just marveled at it. The glistening globs that splatter all over the wooden staircase that he climbs over and over and over again. The long strings that land in our clean laundry… The boy is absolutely fascinated with in/out. Things inside of boxes, bags, drawers, cabinets, pulling them out, dumping them over. The laundry basket on the floor of the bedroom is a very popular item. He’s also using it like one of those walker/push toys, sliding it a bit and taking a few steps. (I suppose it’s time to get him a real push toy.)

He is pulling himself up, climbing up and over just about anything, especially me and Scott.

His favorite new trick I shouldn’t tell you because you’ll think I’m completely insane. But I have to tell you. If I’m lying down, he likes to nurse standing on his hind legs, so to speak, in a pike position, hands on my rib cage, face in boob. The downward-facing dog yoga pose. He also likes to nurse while seated on my lap, facing me, or standing up, if I’m sitting in a low enough chair.

I know. WHEN am I going to wean? I thought it was, like, three-year-olds who tug clothing aside, reach in, and grab. Maybe Jonah’s advanced.

Some babies give up the boob themselves. I met a woman while I was traveling recently. I was rocking and pacing around with Jonah asleep in the Ergo on my back, she was amongst her family’s prodigious pile of luggage — they were from New Zealand, traveling around California for a month — sitting with her teenaged son who was wearing these great tennis shoes printed with a Mexican Loteria pattern — which has nothing to do with this story.

Anyway, we were all waiting together for a long time at this VERY SLOW rental car establishment and she and I started chatting. She asked how old Jonah was, asked if I was breastfeeding, talked about how that’s so wonderful, so important. And then she relayed the story of her son’s weaning.

“He was fourteen months old. One day, while he was nursing, he bit my nipple, looked up at me and laughed, jumped down from my lap and ran off to play. That was it.”

Somehow, I suspect for Jonah it won’t be that easy.

8 comments for “drool me a river

  1. October 22, 2008 at 4:32 am

    Weaning him? You’re thinking about weaning him? Giggle…

    Good luck with that, darling. Put it this way – if he did nurse until he was three, so what?

    I successfully weaned my first child around his first birthday, BECAUSE I WAS THREE MONTHS PREGNANT. Second child, well, you don’t want to know (or maybe you remember). It was just short of his 3d birthday. I wanted to wean him at one, as well. Giggle.

    Jonah sounds adorable these days. I’m missing out on so much of his progress! Must see him. And you & S too!

    Leila Abu-Saba’s last blog post..Warren Buffett: Buy American. I Am.

  2. October 22, 2008 at 6:15 am

    haha no, none of mine were weaned quite that easily. There’s no rush. As long as he’s stopped by the time he’s 16 all will be well!! Only teasing.

    Reluctant Blogger’s last blog post..Trolls

  3. eva
    October 22, 2008 at 11:55 am

    As long as you and The Boy are enjoying nursing (and getting bonus points for experimenting with positions!), then keep at it! There is such a short time in their lives where we can comfort them this easily, and the time, as you probably know, is flying by way too quickly:)

    Too bad about the drool though. Mine is a slurp-it-in-er. Gross in its own way, believe me.

    eva’s last blog post..A Sad Milestone

  4. October 22, 2008 at 1:23 pm

    My 16 mo. old pretty much weaned herself when she started drinking whole milk at one. She still nurses for about 2 min. in the morning and that’s it.

    There have been days when we’re traveling or not at home and she hasn’t seemed to miss it. Who knows how long she’ll want to do this. All I know is that for an always on the go, busy one year old, I cherish the two minutes that she actually snuggles with me :)

    susie’s last blog post..Weekend

  5. October 22, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    I remember thinking my youngest would never let me quit nursing. Her older sister? No problem. But not her. I knew I’d be nursing her through college.

    But she surprised me. And a week later? When we were surrounded by other nursing moms and kiddos? She looked at them like she’d never seen anything so crazy in all her life. She seemed to have absolutely no memory, and she was old enough to know better.

    True story.

    maggie, dammit’s last blog post..Believe

  6. October 22, 2008 at 3:34 pm

    Just wanted to stop by to tell you that I think your blog name is very clever.

    Hello, Julie.

  7. Leanne
    October 23, 2008 at 6:01 am

    Oh, the drool… or baby slime as a friend’s son calls it. And oh, how I dislike the teething. Maybe it’s ’cause my 3 month is in the earliest stages of it. Blech.

    I’m with Eva — as long as you and Jonah are happy with nursing… continue.

  8. Dawniell
    June 21, 2010 at 12:59 pm

    I’ve gone back and started reading your blog from the very beginning- I got to this post and had to comment. My oldest daughter also loved to nurse standing up. She would straddle my lap then stand up with her butt in the air. We always thought it was hilarious. Sometimes she would even bounce if she was in an extra good mood!

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