Baby Steps

Our youngest,John-John, stood for the first time today, and for( the first time in our family) long enough for me to grab the camera AND take the picture. It will be the first " first steps "in our family album.

It has always been between Daddy and I trying to alert the other without startling the child, yelling "hey lookit, lookit, lookit" which makes the kid drop to the floor, or grabbing the camera just in time to see him plop to a sitting position.

I joke with John -John that he needs to get mobile because he is getting to big to carry. Is he ever a big boy. (Not fat. Chubby, no. More like a linebacker with built in shoulder pads.)

For an 11 month old that came into this world at 7lbs 14oz (which really isn't all that big) he's a pretty big boy. He is almost the same height as his 26month old brother( who was also 7lbs 14 oz at birth) and can wear a 3t (toddler size = to three years of age) tee comfortably.

He's strong too and once he realizes it we are in trouble. He gave me a love pat in the face once and I saw so many stars I thought I was at the Oscars. Daddy works with I-beams all day and even he has trouble pulling something out of John-John's hands when he has a death grip on it.

It won't be long now, he'll be walking soon. Soon I'll be kicking myself for all those mobile jokes as he gets faster and into more things. Soon I'll be watching him and wondering where did time go?

The Running Gag-Future of Art

If libraries have to restrict material will museums? Just something to ponder. Enjoy.

Rant update

Now that I am over yesterdays rant, I did some further research. There are proposed laws to protect public breastfeeding that will coming up for review this year.

In a nut shell , they establish a fine of up to $300.00 but no less than $100.00 for anyone who harasses, causes emotional stress, or asks a woman to stop breastfeeding her child while in any establishment or public place where children are otherwise allowed.( If you'd like to check out the legal lingo you can find it here)

On a federal level breastfeeding in public is allowed, but it has been up to individual states to address what laws are to be in place that protect a breastfeeding mother from harassment in public places or being told to leave public establishments.

What breasts are for

Yet another mother has been harassed for breast feeding in public. The store manager of the South Weymouth iParty walked up to the woman while she was breastfeeding her son in the store and asked her to stop because he did not want the other children to see what she was doing. Quick kids, hide your eyes, as if she was doing something perverted .(news coverage of the story can be found here).

Where has this guy been, under a rock? Does he not watch the news? How many times has this happened this year and the offending company has had to apologize for having an employees with their minds in the gutter? At least three?.( Flash back to those news items here and here. iParty was quick to issue an apology and promises to address the issue in their training of employees. Better late than never I guess.

This is a hot topic for me because I have five children and I breastfed all of them. I won’t bore you with the benefits of breast feeding, if you read, watch or listen to any type of media, you already know. What you may not know is how many awkward situations you run into.

While I was in the hospital for the birth of my twins, the nurse grabbed our camera and snapped some shots of us while I was breastfeeding. Both of them at the same time. Where the is no real way of covering up in those hospital gowns while doing it. On 35mm film. Which has to be taken to a lab to be developed. Which the photo-tech has to look at. Who you have to look at when you pick up your film. Who you want to slap the smirk off his face for being a little perv but can’t . Instead, you call over your 6 foot 1 inch tall built like a brick wall steel worker for a husband. Then ask said perv if he has something to say about your photo’s. No? You sure? Good.

Why is it in our society that women are made to feel awkward while breastfeeding in public and have to suffer through the summer heat with two layers of clothing,(one being a bra which are not made of a light material). This is not a problem in third world countries, that we are ( supposedly) soooo much more advanced than. Yet some people in this country still believe that children have to hide their eyes from the sight of a breastfeeding mother.

Who came up with the bright idea that breasts were sexual organs? Breasts were made for breastfeeding our children. Not for the spreads in X rated magazines. Not to be drooled over , not to be silicon enhanced. They are made to mature , to sag, come in every shape,size,color, and to be used for a purely innocent and beautiful purpose , the feeding and bonding with our infants.

The fact that we actually have to have laws to protect our right to breastfeed in public without harassment, is disheartening. It means that we still have a long way ahead of us before women are no longer considered a sexual object.

By the way , Massachusetts is one of the three remaining states that DOES NOT have a law to allow breastfeeding in public. Politicians , you are being watched as to how this is to be alleviated!

Ladies, forget iParty. Get to the root of the problem. Stage a "Nurse in" at the state house!

A Little Trivia

I am starting the trivia section a day early. How this works is every Wednesday I will post a question, riddle, optical illusion, (you get the idea) along with last weeks answer. During the week you'll be able to find the trivia post in the side bar on your right.

Also at the bottom of the trivia post will be a "cheat sheet" note that will either give a hint or lead you to where the answer can be found.

Okay , now for the fun part. This weeks trivia post is a riddle.

"A box without hinges, key or a lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid."What am I?

Cheat Sheet: This is a line from the animated movie"The Hobbit"

IF_Polar-Bear

Okay, not a great stretch of the imagination, but here it is.This is a pencil sketch that I ran through Photoshop to add the background and fur coloration. To make up for the lack of creative thinking, I am adding a comic to go along with.
I am currently in college for my associates degree in Graphic Design and Animation. Apparently the instructor for Human Relations at work choose a real hot button topic for the online forum. I hope The instructor has some objectivity. I did the original in number two pencil, took it for a long ride through Illustrator for the background and then painted it up in photoshop. Here's The original.
I'm still working on it. Have fun everybody.