I'm not 100% sure what you mean by protective/spoiling and tough. Perhaps you mean how affectionate he is with Jack? If so, we are pretty much equally lovey-Dovey with this sweet boy. Cuddle every change we get.
Men hug in our family ;) We don't really play too rough with Jack...he is clumsy and daring enough on his own, he doesn't need help getting anymore scrapes and bruises lol. We let him explore as much as we can, so long as its within appropriate boundaries (social/safety etc, not standing on tables), and isn't physically harmful. Hope that answered what you were asking :)

I'm making Jack's list, but haven't ordered anything yet :)

We really haven't transitioned to cows milk yet, and not sure when/if we will. He is still nursing so I haven't seen a need. When he was 1-2 months, I cut dairy out of my diet because I thought it might be making him sick through my milk. That turned out not be the problem, but I had grown to love soy and almond milk more than cow's milk so we just didn't start buying it again. So, on the rare occasion he does drink supplemental fluids (anything other than breastmilk), it has been water, watered down juice, or almond milk. He'll take a few sips, but is more interested in pouring it out lol. Sorry I'm not more help :(

almost always just let him nap! unless he slept in/went to bed really early the night before. It doesn't matter what I do, or when he does it, he always seems to need between 10-12 hours of sleep out of every 24 hour period. So if he gets 10 hours at night, and starts to take an extra long nap (for him that means over an hour), then I start to get nervous because it always means he will be up later that night.

That's a really great question, because there are a lot of myths out there about what it really means to be intact. One of the reasons I hear a lot, about why parent's choose circumcision, is because they believe intact (uncircumcised) penises are unclean and get infected. Many American parents don't have a lot of experience with raising intact boys, and don't think to question things they hear (I know I didn't before having Jack). The truth is, that foreskin does NOT cause health problems, nor should it be seen as a medical problem.
Things that DO cause health problems:
1) forced early retraction. Why? because at birth, til as late as the end of puberty, the foreskin remains fused to the head of the penis. They share a common membrane, just like your finger nails are fused to the nail bed. Over time, the foreskin naturally separates and the only person who should be retracting the boy, is the boy himself. This is something to make sure you and your care providers know, as I have heard countless horror stories of negligible nurses and pediatricians forcefully retracting infants and children. This is what causes scaring and infection, NOT the foreskin itself. Proper care of the intact penis means NOT forcefully retracting, and WHEN it does retract naturally on its own, is the when the boy begins to roll the skin back to clean. Even the AAP confirms this "But foreskin retraction should never be forced. Until the foreskin fully separates, do not try to pull it back. Forcing the foreskin to retract before it is ready can cause severe pain, bleeding, and tears in the skin.".
The foreskin actually helps PREVENT infection, when cared for properly. No dirt or debris can get under the foreskin, when it is fused to the head still. And when it begins to separate at a later age, urine naturally flushes it out.
2)unsafe sex...which is remedied effectively with mutual monogamy, condom use, and abstinence. Circumcised boys are not invincible to STD's and safe sex needs to be taught and practiced by everyone.
3) improper hygiene. for a infant/child who has not naturally retracted yet, you wash the penis like you do a finger, just run water over it. As previously stated, once retracted, the boy can roll the skin back and wash under it himself with water and mild soap, and roll forward. Easy! and certainly no more difficult to learn to wash, than we teach our children to wash any other part of the body.

about 85% of the world's males are intact, and they don't all have their penises falling off from infection. And in the rare instance that something does come up, like a UTI for example, there are quick, easy treatments that do not require circumcision. So unless a penis gets frostbite or gangrene, circumcision should be seen as a last resort, as a medical treatment. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you'd like further sources/articles. <3

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and about to order some really great Montessori books that Lora recommended! I'm a parenting book nerd now.

no, but you're really hot.

JackJack thighs are super delicious.

I am blessed with enough wonderful people in my life, that I generally don't focus on what any group as a whole is doing. Got to be thankful for the gems and not worry about the yucky ones ;)

yes :)

Social Work :)

Look, I totally get what you're saying. There are some similarities between the two...both are cosmetic, painful (though on VERY different levels), and done without consent or medical benefit. However, I think the similarities end there. Earlobes are foreskin are just so incredibly different. Earlobes do not contain 20-70,000 specialized nerve endings. Plus a hole that can close isn't really comparable to amputation of the entire prepuce organ. I think removal of the eyelid would be a more comparable procedure to foreskin removal. So, while I see your point, and I personally will wait til a daughter of mine is old enough to ask for ear piercing, I don't think its helpful to mix arguments (same goes for abortion and circumcision). I have to pick my battles.

I think they have one helluva struggle ahead...

I can sing okay, just don't have the guts for it!! Nothing comes out in front of other people, but apparently I'm a rock star in the shower ;)

I LOVE it...its so addicting! Especially cloth diapers. We don't have a cloth diaper store where I live, or a Babies R Us so I do most of my shopping online anyway.

love you too sweetie, hope you're doing well!!

Safe time means time where it is not possible to get pregnant. I'll warn you though, until you read the book Taking Charge of your Fertility, some of this may sound confusing. For example, once ovulation is confirmed, it is already 3 days after it has passed....eggs only live 12-24 hours after ovulation, and IF someone were to release a second egg, it happens within 24 hours of the first. So that means there is no chance of ovulation again during the luteal phase ends and the next cycle begins. Anytime between confirmed ovulation (3dpo) and cd 1 is safe. So that's a third or even half of the month that we are free to do as we please. Once you have been charting for a month or so and really understand what your basic infertile pattern looks like, (what your cervical mucous looks like when fertile etc), you can have additional safe days at the beginning of the cycle. Cd 1-5 are safe, and as long as you have infertile cm you are safe (stickly, tacky, dry etc). But if a pregnancy would be absolutely unacceptable for someone, I would suggest barrier methods or abstinence until confirmed ovulation. Even thought its extremely unlikely if someone is following this method and its rules properly, there is always a chance to mistake the beginning of the fertile phase (especially while breastfeeding, as that can make CM dryer)....so the only times this method doesn't work is when people haven't properly learned it, and didn't follow the rules (temping same time every day, observing signs of fertility etc). Its not a good choice for everyone, but for myself and a lot of others it is the perfect method of non hormonal birth control :)

It didn't happen to me...or if it did, they lied to me and told me I didn't! I do fear it a little more for the next time, considering I'm hoping to have a separate camera set up for a more intimate angle...that version won't be making it online regardless, it'll just be for my husband and I. Still though, I don't want to see that LOL. I wouldn't worry too much, if it happens, there isn't too much you can do, and your care providers will clean it up quickly and you won't even know about it.

Its kind of hard to answer that without knowing who you consider the "top YT women". I certainly don't consider myself one, but at the same time, I would hope that you don't feel I wouldn't want your friendship! I think you're awesome and love your sense of humor. You've always been sweet and supportive towards me.I hear people express this sentiment from time to time and it makes me sad to see people feel that way, at least about myself or potentially some ladies I'm good friends with.

I guess all I can say is that, no I don't think EVERYONE is open to making friends, or playing a supportive role in general in the community (not naming names, to keep drama at bay lol). BUT I also think, that some people see the close friendships some of us have made, and feel left out. It is not something intentional or done to create a clique, by any means. We have been through a LOT together and hard times bring people together. If someone doesn't get back to me, I also might assume they don't like me (which honestly is the case sometimes, and thats fine), but I also remember that people have jobs, babies, and lives to keep them busy.

Not going to sit here and say that every single Ytuber is my cup of tea, because that's not true. There are people I have been friends with before or may not know well at all, that I would never trust to have a close friendship with. If someone is sweet, and we get along well, I'm all for making a new friend! I have lost count of the amazing people I know now, that even a year, or two years ago, I didn't even know existed. I also have weeded out some real psychos lol. I don't know, I'm rambling now..but all I can suggest is, try not to take it to heart if you don't feel included or you feel someone is being catty or excluding others...maybe they are, and that's their fault, not yours...but then again, maybe you're taking something personally, when really that person may just not know you well yet. When I see people put in the effort, I try to do the same :) I think you rock, for the record!

Leo DiCaprio! yum...