Esai the Tool Man Ornelas

Hey, Dad! Can I help you with that mower?




Did you check this thing?


Oh, I see what you're saying. Let me see that.


How about if we try to sweep it off a little bit.






OK. How let's take a look at the inside.




Here! Do you want to borrow my mower?




OK. That oughtta fix it.


Wow! That was hard work. I need a cold beverage!

Ahhhh ... sweet, sweet sleep.

For those of you who know us, you know that sleep has been an ongoing struggle with Esai. But, thankfully, it's really the only issue we have. And with an otherwise content, loving and well-adjusted kid, we've been hesitant to do anything too drastic.

And neither of us are big fans of letting babies cry it out. Especially not babies younger than six or eight months. About five months in, we decided that co-sleeping was the best option for our family. Rene has always been a big fan of the family bed, but I was a tougher sell. Well, let me tell you this: Nothing feels better than having my baby snuggled up beside me. Nothing feels more natural or intuitive than that. We came up with a system, where Esai would sleep the first stretch of the night in his bed (anywhere from an hour to eight hours usually), then he would come cuddle with us until morning. It worked well for our family.

But, as Esai got older, he became squirmy in bed. And it became apparent, after about 12 months, that neither Esai or I were getting the sleep we needed. So, when the Bug was 14 months, we decided we had to do something. We tried letting Rene soothe Esai at night, so that my boob-obsessed boy would learn to be comforted in other ways than suckling on the nummies. But after 25 minutes of hearing Esai scream in his father's arms for a few nights, we decided that wouldn't work.

So, then I did something I never thought I'd do. I let my baby cry. Everyone told me it'd take an hour or more of crying before he'd finally fall asleep. There's no way I would have let it go that long. Rene and I decided 10 minutes was our limit. Anything beyond that seems cruel to me.

Seven minutes.

Yup. Seven minutes of whining ... not quite a cry. And zonk! He was asleep. And since then, it's been less than four minutes of fussing/whining and that's it.

Of course, I cried for about an hour.

And granted, Esai usually still comes into bed with us for a couple hours in the early morning. But he's spanning about 8 to 10 hours in his crib every night now! And that makes for a happier baby and mama.

Of course, on a more selfish note ... I miss snuggling my Bug all night. But I'm just a mess of contradictions.

The dairy is cutting down production.

I breastfeed my son. I love it. Esai loves it. We have no plans to wean until one or both of us are ready. And if you think it's weird or perverted, you're wrong. I could give you 712 links to trumpet the benefits of extended breastfeeding well into toddlerhood. And I doubt you'll be able to find one from a reputable source that says otherwise.

Anyway ... since I came back to work when Esai was about three months old, I've been pumping my breasts and sucking out the milk. Most women hate this, which is why breastfeeding rates plummet dramatically after women go back to work. I don't love it. But I love that I can do something for my son when I'm not with him. And besides, have you ever tasted formula? Nasty! Breastmilk (yes, I've tasted it ... that's no grosser than drinking fluid that comes from a cow in my opinion) is sweet, delicious and tastes like melted vanilla ice cream.

So, I've been pumping at work since June 4, 2007. Yesterday was my last day to pump. Esai drinks whole milk during the day, so there is no point for me to continue pumping.


On my last pump (on June 5, 2008), I pumped 6.75 oz.

I've pumped a total of 49 weeks.

I've pumped a total of 3,060.75 ounces. (That's about 24 gallons!)

My highest one-day pumping total is 22.25 oz. on Sept. 17.

My highest single pump was 10.75 oz. on Oct. 18.

My highest weekly total was 99.25 oz.

I'm proud. And a little sad/nostalgic that this part is over.

Hop on Pop

Our New Pool

This is the coolest baby pool EVER! And only $29.99. Wow, I'd have loved something like this when I was a kid. I can't tell you how much Esai loves it. The water was so cold, but he didn't seem to mind one bit. He loved swimming around, dunking his face under water, sliding down the slide. I think this was a fabulous summer investment.

And, yes ... we are THAT family. The one that lets our kid run around nekkid all the time.