Did you know breast milk comes in flavors?
My oldest son suffered from infant eczema so, until recently, his diet didn’t include dairy products. For almost three years, he has been drinking vanilla soy milk. I would have started him off with plain soy milk, but, being a really smart novice parent, I completely overlooked the red container and picked up the blue vanilla (both are varieties of Silk Soymilk). He still doesn’t know the milk he drinks is different from Mommy and Daddy’s. In fact, he thinks it’s special and totally loves it—all because one day I made the mistake of adding Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Now, all milk is chocolate milk, even when it comes from a breast.
Last month, he welcomed a baby sister. To my surprise, it was with open arms. While I was prepping for a Mommy-still-loves-you intervention, he was busy making sense of how she was eating. Every time I put her on my breast to nurse, he would stand pondering with preschool curiousity written all over his face. It never failed that he always asked the same question, “Sydney, boobie?”
Then, judgement day arrived. Although I’d answered, “Yes, she’s drinking milk,” countless times, he had to see it for himself. And, he did.
Every morning the boys watch two episodes of Diego, usually with fruit snacks and a drink. During that time, I also feed the baby. The other day, while feeding, I began producing too much milk too fast. Needless to say, she got a little choked up and jerked away from my breast—only to catch a shot in the eye as my son pointed and shouted, “Chocolate milk!”
I heard it was sweet, but I am not sure it’s cocoa-sweet like chocolate milk. But, it doesn’t matter. Now that he thinks Mommy’s milk is chocolate too, he is sure to tell me when he thinks his sister needs the boob. His question has become this request: “Mommy, Sydney needs chocolate milk from your boobie.”
Yes, he says it in public.
My favorite is when he says it at church.
