You know you are breastfeeding a toddler when...

1. She wants a sip of your drink and a bite of your snack while she is nursing

2. She can ask for "milk" (and sometimes "milkies") and can also tell you when she wants to switch sides ("ah" is "other side")

3. She sometimes reminds you to clip your nursing bra when she is done drinking

4. You occasionally find a sticker or a raisin in your bra

5. She can say "thank you" when she has had enough

6. She can perform amazing gymnastic moves while drinking her milk

7. You don't remember what it's like to wear or shop for clothes without considering whether or not breastfeeding will be convenient

8. She considers your breasts to be her property ("mine!") and may take it upon herself to reach in to your shirt just to make sure that you are taking care of them

9. She tries to multi-task by playing with toys, reading a book or watching a show while she gets her drink.

and finally,

10. You have moments or entire days when you are tired of sharing your body with a demanding little  person, but most days you are incredibly grateful for the time to bond and snuggle with your busy toddler and you feel sad at the realization that this part of your relationship could be over at any time.

Build a learning tower. Seriously. Do it.

Meal preparation has always been a bit of a struggle over here. Breakfast and lunch have been a bit easier as we tend to go for simple menus, but supper is usually a pain. Ruby wants to eat as soon as she knows that something is being prepared and if that isn't possible, she wants to watch the process by being held. She is, and always has been, an observer (not "nosey", but an "observer" lol). 

Finally, we decided to build a learning tower so that Ruby could observe meal preparation and "help" if she wants to. We used Pinterest to find the plans and built one using this link...http://pinterest.com/pin/210332245073875278/

The materials cost approximately $65 and the tower took about two hours to build. These plans show a folding tower, but neither the shopping list nor the instructions account for this, so remember that if this feature is important to you. We opted to avoid hinges bc we thought it would be more sturdy this way and I assumed we would use the tower far more often if it were out and easily accessible. 

We've been using our learning tower daily! Ruby likes to watch meals being made, play in the sink while I make cookie dough bites (I mean...while I make home grown, organic family meals!) and she loves to wash her own hands. 

We still need to paint Ruby's tower (using a paint that can easily be wiped clean!), but I haven't wanted to part with it long enough to get that done :)

A happy toddler and a cooked meal while encouraging independence? I'll take it!!