Julie and Clara's Porch

Today is a rainy day so Julie and Baby Bird camped upstairs and listened to the rain. When Julie was on leave with Joe, they camped out on the porch. Joe, as his legion fans no doubt know and remember, was an avid eater. He probably could have nursed while Julie stood on her head (if Julie could stand on her head). Baby Bird is an eager nurser, too, but has had to contend with an overabundant milk supply making for a veritable geyser to swallow before the flow slows to a manageable pace. Julie and Baby Bird have begun working with a lactation consultant to reign in the dairy's production, but they had felt their way toward some tactics to this end on their own. Chief among them was nursing lying down (a "gravity-neutral" position we were told yesterday by our lovely lactation consultant, Kathy). So that's why Julie and Clara's porch is the upstairs. It is especially nice on a rainy day when they feel snug in their little nest, or on sunny and breezy days when they are level with the leaves on the trees being rustled. It's like the ocean. (That's what you tell yourself anyway when you live about as far from one of the two nearest oceans as you can get.)

Here you see their set up: all phones, Julie's book (Now in nook format courtesy of Ted! We love it! We love Ted for getting such a fab surprise!), burp rag (not pictured), and prophylactic towel or blanket. Interestingly, the prophylactic towel or blanket was de rigueur if nursing Joe in this same fashion because he could be counted on to spit up most times, but Baby Bird is not a spitter upper. Instead, she is a champion belcher. Clara can be counted on to do two things surrounding feedings: 1. belch and 2. poop. If one removes her diaper in advance of nursing her and she has not pooped, one would be well advised to simply put the diaper back on and wait a few minutes and Clara will poop, and with gusto.

This picture was in fact snapped when this poster did not act according to her hard-learned knowledge. Julie had just taken off Clara's very wet diaper and had a new one at the ready when the phone rang. Julie knew it would be Lactation Consultant Kathy so she leapt at it (the nurses are planning to strike on Friday and this includes lactation consultants, so Kathy had kindly told Julie at their appointment yesterday that she was taking a few days off so call today with immediate questions). While she was talking to Kathy, Julie heard Clara pooping well and loudly, all over the Pack 'N' Play. Miraculously, the onesie Clara was wearing could be salvaged so we didn't have to do a complete presto chango. Truly, miraculous. If you could see the size of the spill, and also, bear in mind, Clara is on antibiotics right now making for more poopy poops than usual.* Clara did her part by sucking away contentedly on her pacifier while the PNP was changed even though she was due to eat, and even allowed the picture to be snapped. (She was all, "My work here is done.")

*The photo editor elected not to take a picture of the damage.