Like I needed your permission.

As an ardent supporter of breastfeeding, I was suprised to note that the state of Ohio passed legislation September 2005 to protect my child's right to eat. It reads:

§ 3781.55. Right to breast-feed in place of public accommodation

"A mother is entitled to breast-feed her baby in any location of a place of public accommodation wherein the mother otherwise is permitted."

A "Place of public accommodation means any inn, restaurant, eating house, barbershop, public conveyance by air, land, or water, theater, store, other place for the sale of merchandise, or any other place of public accommodation or amusement of which the accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges are available to the public."

I might note that Aron and Nate were being fed before this law was passed, so we were non-violent, conscientious objectors! Guess the new baby will have to find another way to stick it to the man.

Welcome back, JFK

OK already, so he's dashing and smart and a global celebrity. Let's try not to judge him on all that superficial stuff, OK? Give the man a chance.

My dream menagerie

If I could have any pets I wanted in the whole world, I would have a hippo, an owl, an African grey parrot, a panda and a gorilla. And I would have this big 'ol farm so the animals could live in rural tranquility. And I would wear hemp clothes and hip-waders. I would have a really smelly house, and no one would ever come visit me because I would be that weird lady with the animals. Well, forget you people! What's a little exotic animal poo among friends? I would visit you, except I can't leave the farm because there's no one to take care of my animals! When did you become so judgmental?

Hoo boy. Third trimester's coming on with a vengeance.

Now that we've all slept on it...

I'm so dern stoked. For lots of reasons, really, but primarily because we have elected a president who can speak in complete sentences.

Quantum of Hotness

For your viewing pleasure, Daniel Craig. Unless, of course, you're a straight guy, in which case you are creeped out right now remembering the torture scene from the last Bond flick.

Thank you, Veterans!

I didn't have to go to work today because (1) court is closed because of Veteran's Day (thanks for the freedom and the day off!) and (2) Natie Hayes is convalescing. So far, convalescing has consisted of getting up at 7 a.m. (he actually slept in about 30 minutes), drinking a Capri Sun, eating oatmeal, watching SpongeBob and Letter Factory, then finally, playing the SpongeBob video game. That's a three-year-old for you. Huge, bloody head gash, no problem.

Eleven Stitches of Christmas

No one ever prepares you, as a parent, to see inside your kid's body. Mr. Pretty fell while playing today and split his scalp to the skull. The gash was quite impressive -- over two inches in length. It took three stitches to sew up the membrane that covers the skull and eight stitches to seal the scalp. He was a trooper. He cried a lot when he first fell (his babysitter told me, which I could hear through the cell phone), but not on the table at the hospital. In fact, he fell asleep while the techs were putting in the last few stitches. Note, in these artful photographs I took with my phone (to keep Kurt updated while he was on his way), the Frankenstein-like wrapping that was holding his dressing on until we got to see the doc. Note also the copious amounts of blood on his shirt; blood was also in his ear, on his hands, under his nails and even in his shoes!



Interestingly, the paramedics that attended to him at the playplace couldn't get him to go for a ride in the ambulance! His first refusal of medical care! He gets that honestly for yours truly. The paramedics said it was acceptable to drive him to the urgent care. When I pulled him out of the babysitter's car at the urgent care, his eyes welled up and he said, "I hurt my head, mommy."

Anyway, no concussion. He was super chatty boy, played while waiting for the numbing gel to take affect on his head and was otherwise the biggest, no-whiningest boy I ever did see. On a final cutie note, when we got home, Aron burst into tears because he was so worried about his baby brother, and he was so glad to see that Nate was OK.

Now I need a stiff drink. And in three months, I'm totally going to have it.

New drapes

Thought I'd spruce the place up with a few subtle changes. Might change again shortly -- can't really make up my mind lately.

Er, who thought this up? and other musings

I am using the internet for researching the disparity between the baby's gestational age and his fundal height, and I come across this site, with this bizarre pregnancy clairvoyant (read: randomly selected answers from a database). So, I typed in all my answers, and here's what it said:

"The day you deliver, outside will be rainy. Your baby will arrive at night. After a labor lasting approximately 4 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and will be 18 inches long. This child will have hazel eyes and dark hair. But there is more. I get the impression that you have some questions -- unresolved concerns you have been too shy to address with your caregiver. This is quite typical. You might appreciate some of the advice to some of these seemingly embarassing pregnancy questions."

Who thought this up? So strange. And, it's got to be wrong, because he probably weighs 7 pounds NOW. He's huge. I can feel him in there, and he's much stronger than the other two were.

Funny, he can hear very well already. When the boys are playing in the room, he wakes up, moves around and kicks a ton. And, he LOVES food with raw garlic. Or hates it, maybe -- when I eat anything with uncooked garlic the kid is on the move for hours.

I still have no idea what we are naming him. I have a short list of names that I don't mind, but I'm waiting to have that special "AAAAAH!" (think choirs of angels) moment when I think, "YES, that's it!" I'll post the list in the near future.

I'm doing an Emmaus Walk next weekend. I am not stoked about sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and hopefully there will be a shower ('cause I am a sweaty whale right now), but I am looking forward to it. My boss has wanted me to do it for years, and all the people I know who have done it have really benefitted. I'll let you know how it goes.