Sunday, July 24, 2005

Elias's acrobatics and the breast

I think Elias is finally starting to enjoy breastfeeding. For the longest time, it seemed to me that breastfeeding was more of a thing he would do to placate the frantic mother, concerned that her baby wasn't getting enough to eat, who presented her breast to him hourly for most of his life. "Do you want some milk?" Relentless as I have been, giving in was the only way he assumed he could get some peace and quiet.

These days, Elias climbs up into my lap, buries his head in my chest and pulls at my arms and shirt. I ask, "Do you want some milk?" (doing the sign for milk, of course) He flops down into my lap and opens his mouth, hands ready to grab the prize. After several sips, he pulls away, holding on firmly to the breast but surveying his surrounds. Has anything changed since I started? Nope, not yet, and back on he goes. Then, his body starts to turn and twist. He puts his leg on my shoulder, he pushes up with the other leg. He's nearly UPSIDEDOWN! He gives a good wiggle to check his foot hold. He brings his legs down and moves them and his torso out of the middle of my lap. As far as he can and still keep slurping down the milk. He turns onto his knees, rotating his head 30 degrees or so. He is kneeling in front of me, now standing, now kneeling, now standing..."How in the world is this not killing my breast?" I think. Brad walks into the room, looks at us and scowls. "You're both weird," he says and walks off.

Then finally, after no more than five minutes, he breaks away, looking refreshed and cheery, and off he is again to playing with whatever he happens upon. Yeah, I think he's really hooked.

2 comments:

PoofNoggin said...

YAY for toddler nursing! Aren't their acrobatics hilarious? It's like they love it and are simultaniously worried that they might miss something really important if they get too into it.

Elias is so awesome.

Pevil said...

why wouldn't he be into it? IT'S A BREAST!