My apologies for the infrequent blogging last week. James’ nursery school director abruptly decided to cut the school year short by a few weeks (such things are acceptable here, you just have to go with it) and so as of last week, he has been home with me all day.  Being home all day with four boys under the age of two and a half does not allow for a lot of “me” time.  Suffice it to say, I did not even manage to shower every day last week, let alone update my blog.  James did participate in a very adorable “graduation” ceremony in which he performed the chicken dance. Here he is in his chicken costume, a yellow tutu.  Now, I know I often complain about complete strangers here in Israel offering me unsolicited advice, but the problem reached its pinnacle at James’ graduation ceremony.  At the graduation, one of the other parents decided it was appropriate to take me aside and explain to me that he thought James was a “troubled” child and that I was well-advised to purchase two sheep, have them slaughtered, and give the meat to the poor, all as a sacrifice in James’ name.  This way, he said, James will be protected from whatever was causing him to misbehave.  When I explained to this father that I felt James was simply an average, naughty two-and-a-half year old boy and under no circumstances would I be buying two sheep and having them slaughtered, he asked me if I was a vegetarian.  As if the only obvious reason I would not engage in an animal sacrifice ritual in my son’s name was because I was a vegetarian.  Twenty days and counting until my plane lands in New York City for the summer…

While I spend my days fielding parenting advice from strangers, I seem to spend my nights nursing…constantly.  And while I have experimented over the past 7 weeks with various nursing gowns, I keep returning to Bella Materna’s nursing gowns.
I’ve blogged about them before but if you haven’t bought one yet, do so now.  Bella Materna’s nursing gowns are simply the best out there–they provide enough support so you don’t have to wear a nursing bra underneath, they don’t stretch out (even after three pregnancies), they are made from this great nylon/lycra fabric that dries very fast, and they are even kind of flattering.  The Bella Materna nursing gown comes in a knee-length style here (USD $98) and a calf-length style ($118), although for some reason the calf-length style is called the “Sexy Lounge Dress” here on the website.  Don’t let the marketing ploy confuse you–it is basically the nursing gown in a longer style.  These are not inexpensive nursing gowns, but they are also perfect for maternity wear and they certainly do last.  As I type this, I am wearing one I bought in early 2006 when I found out I was pregnant with James.  It still fits perfectly and provides great support (most of my nursing wear from my first pregnancy did not last through my third one).  Make sure not to put them in the dryer though, I found that did contribute to stretching them out.