By Donna Bruschi   You came to me as a small fish: frantic, untiring, unceasing Swimming upstream to the place of your birth Your only need, to reach the headwaters. At that moment, I knew and surrendered   And a spring deep inside me sprang. And I held you. You asked me to fill a pond and I did. In time, your incessant demands pushed forth a tiny stream. Droplets skittering over my being, your essence seeping into my dust Each day a new gush, another groove, cut and deepened And still you spurted forth, Carving me in ways I didn’t expect You dribbled and babbled and always, I held you, New shoots sprang up in your presence, needing tender care The spring thaw always eroded. Unearthing pebbles, then rocks Carrying them, bump. bump. While you gurgled and rushed, seeking the path of least resistance. Gaining momentum, deepening, broadening Overrunning your banks, flooding me Gouging me, eroding my boundaries Always shaping and cutting your own path. Always following the path of least resistance In your retreat, detritus and silt to be cleaned or absorbed   An aerial reveals switchbacks and impossible twists That make no sense Until you are walking the banks, walking the lay of the land.   An eddy formed, a deep swirling in my unceasing efforts to hold you. I admired how the sun cracked into a million diamonds on your skin You fell silent, biding your time, building strength, seeking an outlet With a thundering roar as you exploded over the edge, A thing of unimaginable beauty My heart stopped as you went over That unstoppable, terrifying, endless plummet Only to land in another eddy, and me grasping, to hold you Yet forward you moved, dragging rocks, trees, pieces of my heart Your power fluid, spellbinding I was awestruck, lovestruck…watching you go in your churning You embraced, then sidestepped boulders One day, I held you one last time and then, you were gone The swells of the ocean pulled you in and you swam away. I watched for awhile, sad and happy, adding my tears to the confluence Grateful for the spring that still nourishes my heart

Many mothers know the answer to this question before their baby is even born. "A year" "6 months" "Until I go back to work" "If I like it" "Until my baby is 4" It's a question with many answers. Breastfeeding is feeding and so much more. Babies also nurse because they are tired, overwhelmed, lonely, thirsty, sick, in pain, bored, cold, hot, or 89 other reasons. Nursing at a mother's breast stimulates or calms all the senses. It creates and completes a safe habitat for a baby. The obvious answer if you are a baby is "As long as I need to." Most babies, if allowed, will wean without any help between ages 2 and 6 years. The normal course of breastfeeding offers many immune and health benefits, optimal nutrition (or complementary nutrition), and emotional security. It creates a bond between mother and child that is intuitive and intimate.  Mothers have reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers and type 2 diabetes, have reduced fertility, have more stable hormone levels and many other benefits. You may feel shocked or disgusted when you first learn about nursing toddlers or preschoolers. Its just not something that happens often in the United States. It seems overwhelming when you are struggling to nurse a new baby, to think that you might  have to do THIS for 5 more years. As you continue nursing and it becomes more enjoyable, if you know someone else who breastfed longer, you tend to pay more attention to what your baby is telling you. When you learn that 17% of US children are obese, or someone in your family has breast cancer or lymphoma, you may also consider continuing, but the real change in your commitment happens when you are in a community that supports extended breastfeeding. If you are planning on ending breastfeeding less than a year, you will find a lot of support, in our culture, for weaning. Around 12 months, many babies lose interest in nursing because they are eating a lot of food, so they aren't hungry and they are busy learning physical skills like walking or climbing which take them away from mom. At this stage, babies wean easily by substituting enough food, drink and other comfort measures. Not surprisingly only about 5% of American babies make it past this benchmark. If you encourage and offer the breast, you can keep all, except for the most independent baby, breastfeeding. After one year. There is a developmental shift that happens between 18 and 24 months where babies start returning to their mothers for comfort. if you are still nursing, you will most likely be very surprised to find that your previously independent toddler has started nursing as much as a newborn! You may be alarmed and afraid that you have done something wrong. If you go with it, setting limits where necessary to keep yourself comfortable, this stage will usually pass into less frequent nursing over the course of a few months. As the toddler grows, many mothers start to experience discomfort while nursing. It might be physical because of gymnastic nursing moves, or a pregnancy. It might be emotional because of the greater intimacy demanded by the child. Two and three year olds want to connect with you while they nurse. They claim your body as their own. They will stare at your body, insist on holding the other breast, have a fit if they can't nurse or hold the nipple or nurse in a particular position or side. Probably there is nothing in your upbringing that has prepared you for this kind of relationship. The closest experience you can probably compare it to is one with an adult sexual partner. When you do that, the toddler nursing relationship suddenly seems creepy and invasive. You just would not let a partner treat you that way. That creepy feeling can be overwhelming. It feels uncomfortable, really uncomfortable. Many women state: "I just want my body back." and quit. Our American culture has totally skewed our definition of normal loving behavior. Intimacy in America is defined by candle-lit dinners, lingerie and sex. Many of us are not comfortable with our bodies and body fluids. We are not comfortable with others touching us, even in positive loving ways. We are not comfortable with how much cuddling and touching babies need. We are not comfortable being a dyad with our babies. Pay attention to what is happening when you feel uncomfortable. Is it when you are home, alone, relaxing with your baby? Or is it when you have to answer questions about why your toddler is nursing. Is it because you have a long list of things to do? Is it because of something that happened to you when you were a child? Is it because you are pregnant or tandem nursing? There are no right or wrong answers. Extended nursing is a journey into yourself and what makes you tick. It consistently points you in the direction of having to be a more patient, compassionate, loving person. Sometimes it makes you so angry or impatient that you can't take it anymore. You don't believe you can find any more patience. When this happens, one thing that always helps is to look at your nursing toddler as a baby trying to grow up. Very few mothers set out to nurse a 4 year old, but they keep going because they see the baby in their child. That's good! Consciously relaxing during a breastfeeding session can help you be be that person. Always remember that your body is your body. You must have some rules about what happens to it. When you have this kind of clarity, your child may fight it, but eventually, they will do it your way. Nursing is too important to them and they don't want to lose it completely. Another thing that helps is to have a friend or a mentor who can listen to you when you are ready to quit, which may be happening hourly or daily! They help remind you that all babies wean on their own when they are ready; that every minute you breastfeed really matters to your child; that this is a relationship between you and your baby; and that you can quit if you want to. Babies take a long time to grow up. Time plays weird tricks on your mind. Some things happen fast and some happen slowly. A nursing relationship creates a person who is compassionate and loving. It gives you an easy way to handle many, many situations. It helps you to pay attention to your child and what they are needing. It makes it easy to understand and talk to your children even when they are older. My job is to encourage and support you to nurse your baby. I would be thrilled if each and every one of you suddenly decided to nurse until your child was done. I know that's not going to happen, because many of you are going to have situations where you are going to think: "It is impossible to continue." My question to you is: "Why is that?" and whatever you answer is the right answer. My love to you and your family.... Donna 845-750-4402

Spray bottles, baby pools, water tables and buckets of water all work for splashing and exploring the cooling and magical qualities of water. Is there an easier pastime than cooling oneself off on a hot day in a local pool, swimming hole, lake, or river? Our area is full of natural places to take a dip, wade and play. 

Music Together: Babies is an introduction to Music Together® for the infant to crawler (0-9 mo.) and their parent/caregiver. The music activities and materials are especially designed for parents who want to learn as much as possible about music development in infants. The music in this collection is compiled from other Music Together collections and is especially appropriate for infants who are not yet mobile.  Music Together: Babies is an introduction to Music Together® for the infant to crawler (0-9 mo.) and their parent/caregiver. The music activities and materials are especially designed for parents who want to learn as much as possible about music development in infants. The music in this collection is compiled from other Music Together collections and is especially appropriate for infants who are not yet mobile. Parents who take the Babies' Class are amazed at how much their baby responds to music and movement! Many parents report that their baby starts mimicking the Teacher's and parent's movements and really enjoy being in class with other babies making music. 8-weeks, 45-minute class, includes the Babies songbook, CD and digital download. The class is taught by Leslie Abdallah and other MT teachers       Leslie Abdallah, instructor Leslie is an actress, singer and dancer who graduated from New York University in Music and Dance. Favorite roles include Ariel in the National Tour of The Little Mermaid and as a dancer for Liza Minnelli and Gregory Hines. Leslie currently sings with a contemporary choir and the children's band "Fuzzy Lollipop." Her Daffodil Dreams Lullaby CD is a favortive of parents and babies everywhere. Her two children, Abey and Geoffrey, are an inspiration to her music. More about Music Together: Music Together is an early childhood music and movement program that helps children develop their natural musical abilities by providing a rich, stimulating musical environment during the critical period between birth and four years.  Through exciting weekly classes, quality supporting materials and parent involvement, Music Together inspires families to bring music-making back into daily life, giving children the foundation for a lifetime of musical expression and enjoyment. An innovator in the field, Music Together began as an educational project of the Center for Music and Young Children in Princeton, NJ. It pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement. It is now being taught nationally and Internationally. To Register: http://mhmusictogether.com/ Inside locations are spacious, beautiful and ventilated. Masks required for ages 3 and up. Teachers are 100% vaccinated.     

Once upon a summer afternoon, it was the month of June in the happening town of New Paltz, New York… What to our wondering eyes did appear…?  Naked babies of all colors, shapes and sizes playing happily together in a cool pool of shallow water.

This is the time of year you will most likely find my family in one of two places: in the garden, or out by the grill. For me, nothing beats a long weekend morning filled with the work of tending to the garden, followed by a restful afternoon under a shady oak tree, then finally, finishing up the day by grilling our dinner and dining outdoors!

I wanted to discuss us Mamas! We come in all different shapes, colors and sizes Yet our emotions all follow the flow of the same river, the timeless flow of motherhood. As women, we come equipped in our mother’s womb with all of our living, giving powers.

With gardening season in full swing, my daughter’s seemingly exponential pace and zest for life, my husband in Manhattan for work, dog sitting, and my GMO education outreach here in town, my head has just slowed to a stationary position (from full on spinning for the last couple days).

This morning I woke up a warrioress! When I looked in the mirror my face looked the same, my hair was falling in its typical messy, uneven way, yet something had changed…. As I looked deeper into my own two eyes I could feel the change deep down inside me, deeper than my bones.

As we all transitioned from sleepiness to wakefulness, we watched as caribou ran gracefully through their tundra home. Then the documentary took a turn and we were all watching a mighty wolf hungrily chow down on one of the caribou!

What are some better titles for what we do? I prefer "professional multi-tasker specializing in damage control" or "personal chef to a person with peculiar eating habits" even "24 hour fresh & local milk provider"

The more things change, the more things stay the same, it’s said. Breastfeeding babies has been around as long as there have been…well, babies to feed; and La Leche League has been around since the 1950s.