She may be rough and tough...

...but, she's still a baby.

And she still loves to nurse.

I don't talk about tandem nursing our children nearly enough. It's been a huge part of my life, and our children's life. I never thought I'd turn into this earthy crunchy mamma who breastfeeds her children until  they are over two, cloth diapers, tandem nurses, homeschools and all the fun little things that go with it - though, I admit, I will always like a little glamour with my crunch. Always. 

It's hard to look at Clara and think of her as a baby. I don't know what it is, but the moment you give a child a sibling, it seems like they grow up instantly. I remember seeing Clara after I had Callum, and she looked so grown up, but yet, she was barely 19 months old. A baby. She is a baby, and I try to remind myself of this daily.

I don't nurse Clara that often in a 24 hour period, she is too busy for that, but come bed time, she will grab her lovey and her blanket, say "rock" and we'll snuggle together. I'll cradle her in my arms and then she'll say "Moot...moot", meaning milk. I'll let her nurse, and while she enjoys rocking and nursing with her mamma, I will sing her favorite song, 'The A,B,C's' , she will come off of my breast, and say "C,D" asking me to repeat the song. I will sing again, and maybe again, but almost always, I will finish the night off with 'You are My Sunshine". We will talk about our day, and enjoy some quiet time together.

I usually do not nurse Clara and Callum together. For some reason, I have never enjoyed nursing my children together. I feel like it is their own special time with me, so whenever possible, they nurse separately. On occasion, Callum will be fussy while I am putting Clara to bed, so I will nurse both of my babies together while I rock and sing to them. It's special because I really think Clara enjoys rocking and nursing with her baby brother. She will hold his hand, touch his head, and be really, really sweet. I love seeing her love on her brother so gently because usually, she is so excited about Callum, that she can be quite rough with him.

Sometimes Clara will ask to nurse at nap time, and sometimes I will let her, and sometimes I will say "not today", and she's okay with it. When she's sick, she can nurse whenever she wants. I love that I still nurse her, she is still a baby, and it is still a very important part of her life. I feel so lucky that I have been able to nurse all of our children together.......Mairead and Lilah....Lilah and Clara and now Clara and Callum. It's something I never thought I would ever consider, but now, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. It is something they can share together right from the very start.