Dar Pecho

I am slowly learning the Spanish words and the regional terminology related to motherhood here in Chile. The weirdest one I have learned is the word for stroller. Coche is normally the word for car, but here they use "un coche" for stroller and "un auto" for car. Pecho is the word for breast, so dar pecho (give breast) is to breast feed. Everywhere I go with my little man in his stroller, I hear "Aah! Guaguito!" (pronounced wah-we-toe) Some men wave or shake his hand. Many women stop to talk to him, saying how guapo (handsome) or lindo (cute) he is. One woman even got on her knees in front of the stroller to kiss his fingers and toes. Children stare with curiosity at his paler complexion, lighter hair and blue eyes. He is at the age that is the Chilean's favorite. They do not go crazy over newborns. I like when people stop to talk to him or even hold with him while we are eating out, because he is getting a lot of exposure to Spanish.

Breastfeeding in Chile is pretty nice. In the US, people were uncomfortable even if myself and the baby were completely covered by a blanket. Here, I can sit down at a restaurant, park bench, or wherever to nurse. No one cares. I am feeding him solids too, but he prefers breast milk so much that he will only eat solids 2-3 times a day, which means a lot of nursing still. We are on a tight budget now, so I'm fine with him continuing to nurse often. Being in one place has allowed us to have a bed time routine and sleep schedule. Nursing is a lot less stressful when I can sleep without a 24 pound baby on my chest.

I am liking Santiago more and more as I figure things out like where to buy crafting supplies and how much to pay for bananas. This blog format is so limited. Maybe I can get narcednomads.com set up so I can have photo galleries, maps, and articles on different things I've enjoyed in different places. I bought the domain for the chain of hostels I want to build in Pensacola, Hollywood Beach, Monterey Bay, and Isla Mujeres. Some day