Shoes

Robbie has been walking on his own for a few weeks now, and we've already had people say that he should have shoes on.  Kelly and I both disagree with this.  There is growing research showing that kids should be barefoot or socks (but what kid keeps their socks on) as much as possible.  The bones in kids feet at this stage are not bone they are just cartilage, and putting shoes on their feet will deform them.  Allowing kids to go without shoes allows their feet to grow naturally as they were intended.  That being said we both know there are times and places where Robbie will need to put shoes on, when it's snowing for example.  We of course would not force Robbie to go barefoot, it would be his choice.  We have tried to have Robbie walk around with his shoes on, and he simply can't walk in them right now.  He's used to being able to feel the ground.  I liken it to trying to learn a fine motor skill with your hands while wearing thick winter mittens, it's not easy.  I'm not trying to preach to anyone as to what they should do, I'm just trying to get people to understand why we are doing what we're doing.

Kelly and I are both avid barefooters.  We wear shoes as little as possible, that includes sandals.   We do this for various reasons.  Our main reason we started was pain.  I was having bad pain in my feet and started doing research on the matter.  I found a lot of sources saying that just wearing shoes less often could alleviate the problem.  So before I paid money to see a podiatrist I thought I'd give it a try, and it worked great and I haven't looked back.  Kelly on the other hand has fibromyalgia and arthritis in basically all her joints, as well as one leg being about 1/2" shorter than the other.  She had tried many different things, including seeing specialists and rheumatologists, trying to help reduce her pain.  She followed my lead and found that going barefoot as much as possible helped tremendously with her pain.  We even went barefoot hiking when we went on vacation last summer, which was very enjoyable (you can look it up it's growing in popularity).  Here are a couple of pictures from that trip:











I know many of you are thinking to yourselves that's dangerous or gross all those germs.  Well it really isn't very dangerous, your feet toughen up pretty well and neither of us have had a bad injury.  Only small cuts or scrapes, which in our opinion is worth it since we are living with less pain.  Regarding germs, you are exposed to even worse germs in your shoes, the ones that cause your feet to smell, and athletes foot needs a warm moist environment to grow (as in shoes).  Anything else you may have heard as a danger is also overblown.  I could go into it but don't want to on this blog, trust me I've done my research.

Here are some informational links, some of the comparisons are on the extreme end but they are just trying to make the point that shoes are bad for foot health:

Children's Shoes Cause Health Problems Later In Life
Parents of Barefoot Children
Nature's Child Blog
Society For Barefoot Living
Americaspodiatrist.com
The Primalfoot Alliance

We hope that you will support us or at least understand our reasons for going barefoot.  Who knows, maybe you will one day too!

14 months of milk and counting!

Well, it has been 14 months worth of milk production.  I went from the newness and uncertainty of it, to overproducing and finding a place to store it, to now I am an old pro at it.  I have been very lucky to have been able to produce for this long and keep Robbie interested in drinking mother's milk.  At one point I had over 1,000 oz of milk in the freezer!  I finally stopped pumping, but we are still trying to get through our extra supply.  I don't know why but Robbie is and has almost always been interested in only one side, so he still sticks with that side.  Maybe because it tastes better, or produces more, I don't know.  Doesn't really matter I guess.

I've gotten some strange looks and questions recently at the fact that Robbie still nurses.  I see nothing wrong with it, and feel it to be the most natural thing in the world.  I figure as long as I can I will keep doing it.  It is so healthy for him, me, and everyone involved.  Some people just don't understand though the bond between mother and child.  It gets even more interesting and fun when the child can interact with you while sharing that bond.  Other people seem to think that there is a cut off point where you should just stop nursing, kind of like taking the pacifier away or learning to walk.  I don't understand it, and will even fight the pediatricians all the way on it.

I am lucky to have some special people who support me 110% in my journey of milk production - Matt being the biggest one.  I am very thankful for his support, and couldn't do it without him.  My best friend Sarah is my #2 supporter, and the first person I turn to with questions like this.  They are both very valuable when even other family members start to look at me funny.

Robbie won't use a pacifier, hardly ever cries, and is most easily settled at times of stress and need by nursing, so I say let him stay addicted for as long as he can!

Best compliment ever

Kelly and I got one of the best complements a parent can get in my opinion when we were out with my parents last Thursday. The guy at the table next to us said Robbie must be very well loved because of how well behaved he was.