Spring has sprung in north Georgia

Can I just say how glad I am that we don't live in northern Wisconsin anymore? Forecast for Rice Lake... cold with snow. Forecast for Rome, Georgia... sunny, 70s and breezy. I mean, don't get me wrong. Snow can be pretty. (Like, once a year. )

I love spring-time in the south. I love how it comes early and how the air smells sweet and alive. Daffodils have already started to bloom. Spring starts in February and lasts through May. I LOVE short winters. And I love taking my little girl out for daily walks.

Yet another reason to breastfeed

CNN has an article out on a study which found that many popular baby bottles give off a chemical at levels that have been found to be dangerous to animals in laboratory studies. Obviously, all stories have two sides - but if chemicals like this have been found to be dangerous, shouldn't we be doing more research and/or trying to remove them?

Breastfeeding attitude quiz

This is a great example of how attitudes about breastfeeding differ across the world.

Makin' the switch

I always wanted to start out with cloth diapers, but Matt was vehemently opposed. In many ways, I'm glad we started with 'sposies. I can't imgaine having to keep up with washing 12-15 poopy diapers a day in the beginning. Now that things have slowed down, so to speak, and I've realized that I do 95% of the diapering and 100% of the washing, I think we're ready to make the switch. I'd like to do cloth for several reasons: I think it's cost-effective, I think it's better for baby, and I think it's better for the environment. I'm going to start out by getting a 12-pack of Fuzzi Bunz and seeing how that works out. Then I'll add to it as needed/as we can afford.

Prayers for Lily

Whoever you are, wherever you are, say a little prayer for a little baby named Lily. No need to go into details that aren't mine to share. She simply needs your prayers.

Places I've NIP

Just a fun spot for me to keep a running list of places that I've nursed DD with no problems. I have to say, that despite being in a very conservative area, I have never been harassed by anyone!

McDonalds
Chick-Fil-A
JCPenney (Men's Department, none the less)
Outback Steakhouse
St. Peter's Episcopal Church (in the Sanctuary, in the choir room, in the meeting hall)
Buffalo's
Pizza Hut

Will add to this as our adventures increase!

The power of nursing Mamas

The first picture in this gallery is of a letter which explains the situtation which made a nurse-in necessary. So I won't go into detail here, rather, I just wanted to share the pictures from the nurse-in at the Berkshire Mall in Reading, PA. Matt grew up just outside of Reading and frequented that mall, so he said that the pictures really hit close to home. I wish we could've been there to take part!

Nurse-ins across America

Just wanted to share this great montage of some of the recent nurse-ins across America. It just takes a few minutes to watch. Enjoy and be inspired!

Yes, I'm wearing my baby...

Maybe it's because I live in the anti-crunchy south, or maybe it's because I'm in a small town - or maybe it's both... but whenever we go out somewhere people look at my baby-wearing self like I have just fallen in from outer space. I mean really, staring just isn't nice. And I get the STRANGEST questions.

For example, this morning I went to Wal-Mart for a mega grocery run. No fewer than 10 people made comments on the fact that I was wearing my baby in a wrap. One elderly man was actually so engaged in staring at us that he walked into a display. I'm not exaggerating.

Now I will answer just a few of said strange questions/comments as I wish I could in real life:

Question: "Is that a real baby?"
Answer: No. The sell them on aisle 9. They're surprisingly realistic. This one cries, smiles, poops, and sucks on my boob.

Comment: "Wow I wish they had something like that when I had my baby."
Answer: I'm pretty sure that women have been wearing their babies for thousands of years. And I'm also pretty sure that they weren't doing it with a Baby Bjorn.

Question: Is she happy in there?
Answer: No. I'm pretty sure she hates it. That's why she's smiling/sleeping/resting comfortably.

Trying to give your baby the best? Fork over the $$

You'll find a common trend throughout my blog is lactivism. Here's an example of gross discrimination against breastfeeding mamas.

A day care in Ohio, City Kids Daycare, is charging a breastfeeding mama $50 extra per week because they consider her breastmilk to be a bio-hazard that requires special handling. Ohio laws state that breastmilk does not require any special handling. If this gets your panties all bunched up the way it does mine, check out The Lactivist's blog on the issue.
Or, if you're feeling really fiesty, you can simply send City Kids Daycare an e-mail letting them know what you think: citykidsdaycar@aol.com.

A little late is better than never...

I kept thinking when I got pregnant, that I needed to start a blog. I kept thinking that I'd certainly get it done before I had the baby. Well, anyways - I've had the baby for 4 months and I'm just now getting around to the blog. Welcome to the life of a semi-crunchy mama. I am Theresa, 26. I am married to a wonderful man, Matthew who is 31 and we have a beautiful baby girl, Hannah, who is - 4 months old. We are an AP, very selective/very delayed vax, baby-wearing family. Miss Hannah is exclusively breastfed and I fancy myself a bit of a lactivist. I am a stay at home mama and Matthew is an assistant professor of music, teaching voice and conducting a choir.