We don't *do* bottles

I just have to laugh. Tonight, Brad was holding Katherine and he wasn't wearing a shirt. She was facing him, reclined on his legs. She was staring intently at one of his nipples and reaching for it, grinning. He laughed and called me to watch (man, has he relaxed! That never would've happened with Elizabeth). As I stood beside them, I saw it coming and I know it well - intent gaze, hands out, straining forward, mouth open - it's the "Latch-On Look" and she was headed for Dada's nipple. Hey, it's the right color, it's the right shape, it's a little on the small side but worth a try, right? As she did tummy crunches to get into a sitting position and leaned toward him, he gets a horrified look on his face and says, "Oh no! Come get her!!" Shoot, I was hoping she'd manage to get latched onto him before he realized what had happened.

And while Dad has relaxed about breastfeeding, I've turned into this breastfeeding crazy woman. I've found that if I'm nursing in public, in my mind I'm practically daring someone to say something to me. I nurse very discreetly but still, I'm just waiting for the opportunity to spout off my "Well, Jesus was breastfed" comeback. I'm dying to get the "I make milk. What's your super power?" t-shirt from granolathreads.com. Then there was the day at Holiday House - it's a big event for the Junior League of Little Rock (insert your favorite junior league joke here...if you don't know any email me and I'll tell you a couple of mine). I knew I would be able to get Katherine's charm bracelet and first charm there. As I'm perusing the charms, the woman asks what I'm looking for and I tell her that it is for my baby's first Christmas and we'll add a charm to it every year. "Well, we have this cup." It says "baby" on it - no. "How about one of these baby carriages?" Mmm, maybe, what else do you have? "Well, there are several bottles to choose from." That flew all over me and in my 'idiot son' tone of voice I said, "We don't do bottles. She's exclusively breastfed. Got any boob charms?" Which prompted a "Regina!" from my mother and the sales person immediately started looking for another customer to help. I don't know where inside me that chick was hiding - but all of a sudden, I'm the militant breastfeeding mommy - and darn proud of it! And, yes, my child has had six bottles that I can think of in her six months of life, but they've all held Mommy's Milk; but for all intents and purposes, we don't do bottles.