One Year!!!!

Today is HUGE.  Not only is it Chai's real birthday (we had his party yesterday, and it was great), but today, I actually reached my breastfeeding goal.  This is the first time I have ever made it this long, even though I've always known I should, and that it was the right thing to do.  Something always kept me from it before, and in retrospect, I know it shouldn't have, but this time, I made it!!!  It doesn't seem like a lot to most people, to breastfeed for a year.  Most of my friends are still going strong at 2 or 3 years, and my one year doesn't look like anything great by comparison, but to me, this is a BIG deal. 

We're not going to wean now or anything.  It's still going to be Chai's decision when we wean, especially since he's only nursing a few times a day now, and drinking almond milk from a cup.  I know not everyone agrees with giving 1-year-olds milk other than breastmilk, but I thought it would do no harm to start him on almond milk now just so if I have to leave him for any reason, Thak will be able to feed him, and he'll be used to it already.  He's also skinny, and the extra calories won't hurt him a bit.  He drinks water from a cup just fine, and herb tea (we found that out this weekend at grandma's house!), so why not almond milk, too, for more calories? 

One year.  Wow.  I cannot believe it.  It was hard at first, and we fought through a lot of difficulties to get to this point, but it's good to be here.  I would go through all of it again if I had it to do over, because nursing Chai for the first year of his life may be one of the most worthwhile things I have ever done.