I'd like to talk for a minute about breastfeeding.

So I always used to joke that I loved breastfeeding because it requires the least amount of work, but as I write this post at 2am while pumping, I know that to no longer be true.

Breastfeeding is hard. And I feel like not enough women talk about how difficult it can be. So if you're reading this right now and you're struggling too, there are two things I want you to know.

1. You are not alone. 

And

2. You're doing something amazing for your baby, and it's worth it. 

Okay, I lied. There are 3 things I want you to know. 

3.Things will get better. They will. 

It might not be a matter of days, or even weeks. You might work your tail off for months, but I promise you, things WILL get better. Then one day you'll feel like you just blinked, and your sweet baby is an incredible child with a personality you could never have imagined, and all the struggle, which once seemed neverending, will be forgotten. 

I say these things not from a place of judgement to those who were unable to breastfeed or chose to stop, but from a place of understanding that it can be a huge struggle, and a place of encouragement to those who feel like they may be alone. I say them because I know somebody out there needs to hear them. If you're struggling with breastfeeding, know that you're not alone. This is not abnormal. Your body isn't defective.

I'm also saying these things because right now I need to remind myself just as badly. I struggled at the beginning to be able to breastfeed my son. Maybe eventually I'll have time to write out our story. Emotionally, those first two weeks were quite possibly the hardest of my life. I know that last sentence will only make sense to other mothers, especially those who've struggled. But we learned, and things changed, and I breastfed him for two years. And. It. Was. So. Worth. It. When my daughter was born, the first two weeks seemed like they'd gone great! I was so happy that our breastfeeding relationship was going to go more smoothly. Little did I know, she has multiple anatomical issues that prevent her from getting enough milk.

So I pumped. After every feeding. Day and night. And I continue to do so. She is nearly 6 months old and I continue to do so. I continue because of all the amazing ways breastfeeding benefits both myself and my baby, as well as the ways it promotes toddler development. and because I know someday it will get easier. We may never have the breastfeeding experience I hope for, but things won't be this difficult forever, and right now I'm at peace with that.

If you're still struggling, or want more information about breastfeeding, find a local La Leche League leader and contact them. They're always willing to help, and never judgmental. The leader who helped me with my daughter was able to tell me more in one minute than I had learned from two months worth of visits to our pediatrician, 8 or 9 different lactation consultants, and two different otolaryngologists.

{kitchen adventures} Owl Smash Cake Tutorial

Hoot!

It took me  a while to put this up here, because I like to pretend I still have a chubby little baby who coos at me, rather than a destructive toddler who tears through the house at top speeds, jumps on the pets, and calls me by my first name. 

Anyhow, I got the idea for this cake from this photo I saw on pinterest. My version was so easy to do, I thought I'd share it.

First, grab your bakeware and grease it up! Cans work awesome. This one was a 28 ounce can of tomatoes in it's previous life. You can use the can by itself, because your cake will naturally bake up into a head shape, and you'll only need one piece. I just preferred to have shoulders on my cake*. If you want shoulders too, a 1 cup glass bowl is the perfect size for Mr. Owl's head.

(* Also I'm lying. I didn't think ahead and assumed my can cake would bake flat.)

Bowl Cake and Can Cake (with top already cut flat). Trust me, it's tastier than it sounds.

You'll also need:

• Cake batter. This one is carrot, but I hold no grudges to anyone who prefers chocolate or yellow cake. Red Velvet however, just march yourself on out of this blog right now.
• Two , make that 10 chocolate sandwich cookies, in case you mess up, or need to eat one or four.
• Frosting, in 2 colors, and some kind of piping tool. I used the "spray can" frosting that already comes with tools, like this one. 
• Toothpicks or drink stirrers.
• A hungry birthday kid.

After baking, use a knife to loosen the can cake and plop it down on a paper plate. Cut two small triangles at the top where the wings and chest will separate. Cut them all the way down the body, widening a little bit as you get toward the bottom.

It doesn't have to be perfect since you're frosting it.

 Now frost the chest by making little dots with a star tip on a frosting pipe. Make the dots bigger toward the top, so he can have a puffy bird breast.

Frosted body.

 Finish the back side, but leave the wings naked for now. I got lazy with the back of my bird and just frosted lines. Grab your second frosting color and frost the wings the same way you did the chest.

 

Now, put some frosting on top where you'll stick his head on.

 

Stick on your second cake.

 

Frost the face and head, making two points on top like cat ears.

 

Halve two cookies and cut one top in half like this. It might take a few tries.

 

Lay the cookies facedown. (I swear my countertop is clean.) Use a toothpick, kabob, or drink stirrer to poke a small hole in the middle of each. Go slowly, or they'll break and you'll just have to eat them.

   

Put a toothpick or drink stirrer through the holes you just made to hold the eyes on the owl. But for goodness sake, pull the sharp objects out before you give it to a hungry baby to smash.

Don't let the children see him like this...

 

Cover toothpicks by frosting on some pupils. I just noticed this photo is looking rather...um, ...feminine.

 

Frost on a cute little beak.

White chocolate chips make great spots for his wings.

 

Move him to the top of your cake, or onto a plate- wherever he'll be staying permanently- and you can frost some toes onto his front.

And a little triangle for his tail.

 

Take  the cookie halves you made earlier, and stick them behind his eyes to look like the photo, add a candle, and give to a hungry birthday kid!

 Let the smashing begin!

And seriously, don't forget to pull out those toothpicks!