My Television Interview

On Monday, I was interviewed for a local television story. I had been called as a La Leche League leader the prior Friday. The reporter had left messages for several leaers and I was the one who called her back soonest: lucky me? Who knows. Anyway, I answered her questions over the phone, thinking I was giving her background information from the LLL perspective. Then she asked, "So, great, can I interview you next week?"

"Oh? This wasn't the interview?"

So, we scheduled an interview time. And then, because I'm really slow on the uptake, I thought to ask right before hanging up: "Um, will you have, like, a camera with you?"

"Of course!"

So, I spent the next three days cleaning the downstairs of my home spotless (even sending Chris and the big kids out of the house for several hours) plus narrowing the points I wanted to present and memorizing statistics. Oh, and washing laundry, picking outfits, and wishing I could lose 15 pounds in three days.

And as soon as the crew arrived on Monday, they sought a place to film and suggested we go upstairs to the nursery. My upstairs was trashed and dirty because I had focused all my attention downstairs! The best laid plans of mice and men . . .

Those camera lights really are astonishingly hot.

Chris entitled the above modified photo, "Is She A Mother?"

And what is sad is that those sensible shoes I was wearing are my most hip and cool shoes!

One other humorous moment of the two hours I was being interviewed was upon arrival and setting up the intiaial shot, the reporter asked me, "Do you have any 'nursing bling'? Like a baby bottle?"

I laughed and explained, "I don't bottle feed. I don't have bottles. Besides, how does a bottle represent nursing?"

So she asked, bewildered, if I had any other 'nursing bling'. I told her that one of the nice things about exclusive nursing is that it requires zero equipment. I searched and said maybe I could dig out of the closet my Boppy pillow (she declined).

Other than that, I'll say that giving the interview left me disconcerted and discombobulated, as the reporter's angle was different than what she told me ahead of time. It was a salacious angle--salacious about nursing babies? oh yes!--so I felt disheartened that once again the media will probably present God's design for nourishing the species as something weird, immodest, fringe, or dangerous.

After the crew left, I was so exhausted from three days of go-go-go, but I foolishly launched into meal planning for the week and cleaning the upstairs (expecting house guests the next morning), and then took two un-napped preschoolers plus one baby to Costco for a major shopping trip at three o'clock in the afternoon. I ask you: what person in her right mind does that?

Me, apparently. And thus followed a limp rag of a four-year-old and a two-year-old throwing a major tantrum in the busy, dangerous parking lot. I seriously considered packing the crew right back into the van at that point and driving home. But, no, I wasn't that smart and I pushed forward to do our shopping trip.

That means I was that mother wearing a screaming five-month-old while pushing a heavy cart containing two siblings in it who would not stop screaming, hitting each other, and shrieking to me for justice. Try to have sympathy when you see those mothers! I was very grateful to a few shoppers who saw my plight and sympathetically lent me a hand instead of casting dirty looks at me.

I'll let you know if the story for which I was filmed ever makes it to air!

Leading My First LLL Meeting

Today I led my first La Leche League meeting! Above is a photo of Mary and I before we walked out the door (and pajama-clad John stayed with Daddy--thanks Chris!).

I was supposed to lead last month, but we were all sick so my co-leaders took over for me. Today's meeting went well, I think. Eighteen mothers showed up with one to two children each in tow (and one mom had four children with her), so it was very loud and we nearly had to shout to be heard. But I think the discussion was fruitful and I'm pleased to have the milestone of my first meeting behind me.

La Leche League Leadership

Yes, it's true! Today I became an official La Leche League leader! This has followed a year-long process of studies. I have wanted to become a leader since John was only a few months old, but the first requirement for leadership is to have nursed a baby for nine months. By the time John was about nine months old, Chris had changed employers and we knew we'd be moving to another state soon. It's very difficult to begin leadership accreditation in one state and switch midway, so I waited until we knew where we were moving. Then when we arrived in Charlotte I had to find a new LLL chapter I liked, then let those leaders get to know me before I could begin the accreditation. Last November 3 I officially filed to begin the process and nine days later gave birth to Mary, thus another half year of delay. But for the last six months I have worked very hard through various reading, writing, and practical exercises and now I am certified!

LLL of NC Conference 2009

We are home from the 2009 Conference of the La Leche League of North Carolina and I had a fantastic time! The conference was held at the Sheraton, which was a lot more comfortable accommodations than the rugged Unicoi Lodge where the LLL of GA conference has been held the last two years.

While I was packing my suitcase, John packed a suitcase for Mary by emptying her entire bureau drawer into the luggage:
After I emptied that out, he took the suitcase and emptied out his shoes-and-socks drawer into it, so he was all "packed" himself:

I planned to deny the kids naps in the morning so they would sleep blissfully for the three-hour drive to Raleigh. Despite this photo taken a few minutes into the drive, John quickly woke up and Mary never fell asleep. They were both overtired fussbudgets (my fault!), so I squeezed myself into the space between their two car seats and keep them company for the whole ride. Mom's plan: thwarted!

For the sessions all day and the evening of Saturday and the morning of Sunday, I toted Mary along with me while John had "special days" with daddy. Mary is a mild tempered baby anyway and I wear her much of the time at home, but I certainly noticed that because she got to be in arms for me for two straight days, she did not cry once. She cried last while stuck in her car seat on the drive to Raleigh and then once we were driving home to Charlotte. Babies know what feels right to them!

The sessions were fantastic and I learned so much. On Sunday afternoon after lunch, we spotted a woman giving pony rides (in this very sketchy park with many gentlemen lingering around). John loved his very own ride with Marbles the pony.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, so we attended the 4:30 traditional Latin Mass at Sacred Heart cathedral. The phrase "attended Mass" is usually used loosely by parents of littles. Chris and I traded the two children back and fourth for the two-hour service. I started with Mary, but she quickly had a poopy diaper so I had to go out to the car to change that (these older cathedrals don't have modern big vestibules or nearby bathrooms). I got her settled and came back, by which time Chris had been out a few times with John. We got to go back in, but then both babies were melting down. I got Mary nursed and settled and then traded with Chris, so he kept the baby inside while I took John outside. I got Mass in three-minute segments and mostly by listening to the sound wafting from the open church windows to the courtyard outside. Another typical Sunday!

Lastly, this photo is titled, "You Know You Live in the South When" (taken at a gas station on our drive home):

My Southern relatives might not even get what is so funny about the photo, but my California relatives have likely never seen such a thing in their neck of the woods!

We got home late at 11:00 p.m. after both kids were pills again and I reluctantly spent the drive sitting in the back seat. But we survived! Chris was an awesome husband to come with me so I could enjoy the conference but have my two-year-old close to me too. Thank you, honey!

LLL Annual Conference

I want to give thanks to Chris who made it possible for me to have a very enjoyable time at the 2008 Conference of La Leche League of Georgia. We went last year when John was about four months old, so, of course, I had him with me during every session. This year John is an exuberant 17-month-old, so Chris took care of him while I was in all the sessions. John and his Daddy would bumble around in the courtyard or go for a drive (which is how John took his naps without me) or explore the surrounding area. They even found a display of live birds (hawks and owls eating live chicken chicks) and John got to pet a tiny, live turtle!

While I saw John between almost every session, it was the first time ever that I've allowed myself to take almost the entire day--two days in a row--away from him. I thoroughly enjoyed attending the sessions, being able to pay attention and actually take notes! On top of all of it, Chris missed a big golf tournament with his work buddies this weekend to support my interest and, of his own accord, he reserved us a cabin for next year's conference!
The town of Helen has many horse-drawn carriages, causing John often to shout, "Neigh! Neigh!" We took him for a ride, which he liked very much, but, of course, with his temperament caused him to be quiet and observant during the ride itself.


John felt safer to hoot with excitement at another horse (farther away) during our ride.

Feeding our horse a carrot:
John had grand fun riding a wooden rocking horse at a vendor's display table of toys. It made us regret that we put his rocking horse into storage when we moved into this apartment!


On a pragmatic note, John did pretty well in the car. On the drive there, he slept most of the way and didn't cry. On the drive home, he did scream for about the final hour, but that's an improvement over most drives . . . . Also, it was possible to enjoy my weekend and not be oppressed by debilitating nausea because of a new regimen I am trying that seems to be working!

Question: How do you know it is time to adjust the height of your child's Learning Tower? When you are cooking in the kitchen and discover suddenly that your toddler has climbed onto the counter and is reaching for the butcher knife! The Learning Tower has four adjustable levels, so by lowering it one, John should temporarily be unable to climb onto the counter, thank goodness.

The One-Armed Cook

Today I attended a different chapter's LLL meeting because they were hosting a special guest speaker, Cynthia Stevens Graubart, co-author of The One-Armed Cook. The book is full of recipes that really can be made with only one hand because the other hand is busy holding a baby. Mrs. Graubart made us tortellini and bean soup right in front of us and it was delicious! I enjoyed meeting some new LLL women.

I have further baby-proofed my kitchen dining area in hopes that John will play in it more peaceably while I cook. I set him up with a plastic bowl full of a couple inches of water and some small Tupperware pieces. He kept himself quite happily busy while I prepared slow-cooker turkey breast, roast potatoes and onions, and green vegetables. (Note to self: the piece of meat I bought was skinless breast and the slow-cooker recipe calls for turkey with skin for a reason--it needs more fat to withstand the long cooking time.)