Sloane and Puffy
Wife... working mama... gringa in Mexico
Sloane and Puffy in Mexico
YOM!
W tried his first sushi last weekend. OK, it was just a veggie roll. (He's hard core, but not THAT hard core.) Anyway, he really loved it.
Shredding in 2012
So, as you may be able to tell from my blog-posting frequency, I'm hanging onto my new year's resolutions by a thread! It has been a very hectic time so far and right now I am figuring out what activities I need to eliminate in my life to avoid complete lunacy. Although a nice rest in a padded room doesn't even sound too bad at this point.
One thing I HAVE kept up with is my exercise. I started the 30-Day Shred on January 3 (yep, padded out that New Year's holiday a bit) and I have done it every. single. day. since then. In case you are one of the three people who is even slower than I am on picking up four-year-old fitness trends, the 30-Day Shred is this video workout deal where you do it every day for around 20 minutes, one level for the first 10 days, then level two, then level three. Your leader is thissadist fitness enthusiast named Jillian Michaels, of The Biggest Loser fame.
How much fitness can be accomplished in 20 minutes? Well, you'd be surprised (and if you're asking, you definitely have not done this workout). There is almost no standing still, lots of jumping jacks and pushups and other things I definitely have not done for a few years. I was way sore the first few days and continue to be sore on and off, but in a good way, except for my poor knees which are not doing so hot. Apparently this is because of the weakness of my surrounding muscles, and I do think the situation is getting better.
So, today will be day 17 of 30 and I am going strong. My resolution to eat better is not going so great, but at least I am exercising and I think it is making a small difference in how I look.
I have also discovered that the baby is willing to hang out in his Pack and Play and stare at me for 20 minutes while I jump around like a monkey. Apparently, this is very entertaining and sometimes he even jumps up and down too. Ah, youth.
One thing I HAVE kept up with is my exercise. I started the 30-Day Shred on January 3 (yep, padded out that New Year's holiday a bit) and I have done it every. single. day. since then. In case you are one of the three people who is even slower than I am on picking up four-year-old fitness trends, the 30-Day Shred is this video workout deal where you do it every day for around 20 minutes, one level for the first 10 days, then level two, then level three. Your leader is this
How much fitness can be accomplished in 20 minutes? Well, you'd be surprised (and if you're asking, you definitely have not done this workout). There is almost no standing still, lots of jumping jacks and pushups and other things I definitely have not done for a few years. I was way sore the first few days and continue to be sore on and off, but in a good way, except for my poor knees which are not doing so hot. Apparently this is because of the weakness of my surrounding muscles, and I do think the situation is getting better.
So, today will be day 17 of 30 and I am going strong. My resolution to eat better is not going so great, but at least I am exercising and I think it is making a small difference in how I look.
I have also discovered that the baby is willing to hang out in his Pack and Play and stare at me for 20 minutes while I jump around like a monkey. Apparently, this is very entertaining and sometimes he even jumps up and down too. Ah, youth.
Rent-A-Tree
We said a very unceremonious goodbye to our Christmas tree this week (more on that later). But, we didn't send it to the trash heap or the recycler — we had to give it back to be replanted. See, this year, we rented our Christmas tree.
I always liked real trees, and I never thought twice about buying them and then recycling afterwards, but that changed when I met my husband. He doesn't believe in killing trees for decoration, so we were in a quandary. Two years ago, we bought a live tree, which probably wasn't all that "live" to begin with, since it kicked the bucket soon and blighted our balcony with its deadness for a long time after Christmas. Oh well, we tried to do the right thing.
As we all know, last year we didn't have a tree up due to moving, a certain person's birth, etc.
This year, we tried a different option. A company called "Siempre Verde" will rent you a live tree, then take it back afterwards and replant it. Great idea, right? It wasn't as simple as it sounded, though. So in brief, about renting a tree:
The Good:
We felt ecological. I got my tree, my husband didn't live with its blood (sap) on his hands.
The Bad:
This company was extremely disorganized. The ordering process was unwieldy, they made me print out and scan proof that I had made my payment on PayPal (which is un-green and also betrays a total lack of understanding of how PayPal works). They didn't answer e-mails. They refused to try and help me out with the fact that my condo doesn't accept deliveries after 6:00 p.m.
The day the tree was supposed to arrive, I notified the nanny. Of course, when I tell her anything like that (a repairman is coming, something will be delivered, etc.) that's pretty much the kiss of death and 95% of the time it doesn't happen. And sure enough, it didn't arrive while I was at work. Then, it didn't arrive before my condo's 6:00 p.m. delivery deadline (which is pretty loosely enforced anyway). The company told me not to worry, that if it had to arrive at 2 in the morning, it would get there. This was not comforting to me, since the delivery window was supposedly 8 am to 8 pm. While I admired their persistence, I was not cool with receiving a tree in the wee hours of the morning.
It eventually arrived, at like 7:59 pm.
I always liked real trees, and I never thought twice about buying them and then recycling afterwards, but that changed when I met my husband. He doesn't believe in killing trees for decoration, so we were in a quandary. Two years ago, we bought a live tree, which probably wasn't all that "live" to begin with, since it kicked the bucket soon and blighted our balcony with its deadness for a long time after Christmas. Oh well, we tried to do the right thing.
As we all know, last year we didn't have a tree up due to moving, a certain person's birth, etc.
This year, we tried a different option. A company called "Siempre Verde" will rent you a live tree, then take it back afterwards and replant it. Great idea, right? It wasn't as simple as it sounded, though. So in brief, about renting a tree:
The Good:
We felt ecological. I got my tree, my husband didn't live with its blood (sap) on his hands.
The Bad:
This company was extremely disorganized. The ordering process was unwieldy, they made me print out and scan proof that I had made my payment on PayPal (which is un-green and also betrays a total lack of understanding of how PayPal works). They didn't answer e-mails. They refused to try and help me out with the fact that my condo doesn't accept deliveries after 6:00 p.m.
The day the tree was supposed to arrive, I notified the nanny. Of course, when I tell her anything like that (a repairman is coming, something will be delivered, etc.) that's pretty much the kiss of death and 95% of the time it doesn't happen. And sure enough, it didn't arrive while I was at work. Then, it didn't arrive before my condo's 6:00 p.m. delivery deadline (which is pretty loosely enforced anyway). The company told me not to worry, that if it had to arrive at 2 in the morning, it would get there. This was not comforting to me, since the delivery window was supposedly 8 am to 8 pm. While I admired their persistence, I was not cool with receiving a tree in the wee hours of the morning.
It eventually arrived, at like 7:59 pm.
We were delighted to see it, although its plastic pot was kind of ugly. The company had covers that you could buy, but they had ran out, and I was too lazy to make something.
Speaking of the ugly...
The Ugly
When I reserved the tree, I had to choose the day it would be picked up. January 9 was one of the first options, and that sounded fine since it was the day I had to go back to work, plus it was the Monday after Three Kings Day which is the official end of the holiday season here in Mexico.
So I told the nanny to take off the decorations and that someone would come by and pick up the tree that day. Of course (see above regarding the kiss of death), that didn't happen. I tweeted the company and nada. The next morning, while I was at work, the condo caretaker told the nanny the local government was going to recycle trees, so it was the day to leave them curbside. Since I had not specified WHO would come by and pick up the tree, she figured this was her chance.
OH CRAP.
Awhile later, she answered the phone at home and it was Siempre Verde, calling to schedule pickup. (Imagine that, since I had already scheduled delivery WHEN I RENTED THE DANG THING.) At this point she realized she did something wrong, called me at work and I had a heart attack. (I was imagining how much we'd be charged for not returning this silly tree, which we'd already paid more for than a regular "dead" tree costs. Turns out it wouldn't have been too much, but it would definitely have defeated the whole "green" purpose.) Fortunately, the tree recycling people had not come by yet and we were able to rescue the poor tree from turning into mulch.
So, will we do this again next year? I don't know. I loved the idea but the execution was horrible. I know it wasn't just us because I saw a lot of comments like mine on Twitter. ("Hey, when are you bringing/picking up my tree? Hello?") Maybe Siempre Verde will get better at what they're doing, or maybe some competitor will enter the market. We'll see....
Like Kermit said... it's not easy being green.
Speaking of the ugly...
The Ugly
When I reserved the tree, I had to choose the day it would be picked up. January 9 was one of the first options, and that sounded fine since it was the day I had to go back to work, plus it was the Monday after Three Kings Day which is the official end of the holiday season here in Mexico.
So I told the nanny to take off the decorations and that someone would come by and pick up the tree that day. Of course (see above regarding the kiss of death), that didn't happen. I tweeted the company and nada. The next morning, while I was at work, the condo caretaker told the nanny the local government was going to recycle trees, so it was the day to leave them curbside. Since I had not specified WHO would come by and pick up the tree, she figured this was her chance.
OH CRAP.
Awhile later, she answered the phone at home and it was Siempre Verde, calling to schedule pickup. (Imagine that, since I had already scheduled delivery WHEN I RENTED THE DANG THING.) At this point she realized she did something wrong, called me at work and I had a heart attack. (I was imagining how much we'd be charged for not returning this silly tree, which we'd already paid more for than a regular "dead" tree costs. Turns out it wouldn't have been too much, but it would definitely have defeated the whole "green" purpose.) Fortunately, the tree recycling people had not come by yet and we were able to rescue the poor tree from turning into mulch.
So, will we do this again next year? I don't know. I loved the idea but the execution was horrible. I know it wasn't just us because I saw a lot of comments like mine on Twitter. ("Hey, when are you bringing/picking up my tree? Hello?") Maybe Siempre Verde will get better at what they're doing, or maybe some competitor will enter the market. We'll see....
Like Kermit said... it's not easy being green.
So, the elliptical arrived
It came unannounced today but I was so happy I didn't even complain, just felt thankful I happened to be home.
Then they brought it in and asked me where to put it. I took them to the bedroom and told them, right over there on the carpet (especially purchased for this), looking outwards.
This is how they left it.
She's a beaut, ain't she? Gee, how do you think you ride this thing?
2012 is here! Let's resolve.
Happy New Year to all! I have big hopes and dreams for 2012 and I think a lot of us do.
We had a Mexican-style family New Year's Eve, at my brother-in-law's place, and somehow managed to stay awake through a late dinner and the stroke of midnight. It was a little dicey between 11:30 and 12:00 but I hung in there! At the stroke of midnight, we were all ready to eat our 12 grapes each and make our 12 wishes, but I have to admit I hijacked that tradition with a big gringo-style smooch on my husband just as he reached for his grapes. What can I say, the grape thing is probably pretty awesome when you're single, but I wanted to kiss my man!
I think we got 2012 off on a great foot today, with church, a walk (yes, exercise is coming back into my life!), a leftover lunch with the in-laws and lots of playtime with my little one. I managed to avoid completely pigging out for the first day in a long time, so I guess I can officially count this as the first day of my "diet" (if we're being very flexible with that word.) Finally, I am about to finish a book (The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis for anyone who cares) which I think bodes well for the new year.
I remember last year being almost taken by surprise by the new year, what with having a newborn, being sleep deprived, etc. I didn't like the feeling of not being able to reflect and plan sufficiently, but ni modo. This year, I could have used some more time to prepare, but I did have time to think about my resolutions!
- Blog at least once a week. The past few months have been bloggy death here at sloaneandpuffy, but blogging means too much to me to stop. I would love to update several times a week, but I don't want to set myself up for failure so let's just plan for "at least" once a week, shall we?
- Exercise/lose weight. It has been a loooong time since I have used any self control and that needs to stop. Everything I own is tight or doesn't fit at all. I feel gross. So that's a big resolution for me, although I don't feel ready to put a specific goal weight or size on paper. I just want to be healthier and a bit smaller. Fran got us an elliptical for Christmas, so that will be a great help, although it has not arrived yet.
- Expand our family again (or at least be on the way to doing so). Yep, we are not expecting or trying at this moment, but this is our desire for 2012, si Dios quiere. This may be one reason I am trying to be flexible with the weight loss resolution... cause I may have to weigh one resolution against the other at some point and decide which is more important.
- Positive change in my professional life. I am not sure quite what this will look like but I am confident that, after a year of lots of change and upheaval, I can expect improvements in this area!
- Pray more. My prayer life has not been where it needs to be, and consequently my head has not been where it needs to be.
I would like to make a parenting-specific resolution, but I am not sure what, yet. I would like to pray more for my boy, and also spend more quality time with him (away from iPad, BlackBerry, etc.) but I am not feeling super-convinced about making one of those an actual resolution. Any suggestions? What are your resolutions?
Sleep Training Part II, Revenge of the Parents
As the holidays approached this year, we talked about a lot of different possibilities. The beach, a visit to the US, a return to Chiapas, etc. In the end, we took a staycation — and not one of those ones where you spend all day every day visiting museums and historical sites and rediscovering your city. Nope, we worked on the baby's schedule. And as old and boring as I know this sounds, it has been GREAT.
A little background: we started sleep training when W turned six months. We focused exclusively on nights. I know, this goes against the rules of our book (and probably all the others too). Nights were our domain, with the nanny coming during the day, so it seemed more urgent. For reasons that are no longer clear to me, we didn't feel great about having the nanny do the cry-it-out routine, plus a little part of me was like, well, we're paying her to take care of him so why shouldn't she rock him to sleep?
So nights went well for awhile, until we started bringing him into our bed in the morning. At first, he was waking up at an acceptable time and it was just pure convenience for me to nurse him lying down in bed. Then he started waking earlier and earlier and earlier, and pretty soon he had us hostage - going to sleep every night in his own bed and waking us up at 4, 3, 2 a.m., when we were too addled to think straight and would just bring him to our bed. This was nice for cuddling but overall was not a good situation for us.
So, the sleep-training vacation. With the nanny gone all week, we went back to the basics of the book (The Sleep Easy Solution), letting him cry when he woke up too early and checking in after 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes, etc., and also coming up with a nap schedule and mini routine. The early morning thing was the hardest, but after a few nights/mornings hanging out on the couch outside the nursery, that was pretty much set. We made it to an 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. schedule, and I was shocked how easy the nap schedule has been, just letting him be awake 3-4 hours, then having a little story and some milk in the sippy and to bed!
He seems so much more well-rested and I feel like we are, too. The only downside is we have barely any time to do anything outside the house. This is the aspect of nap training and sleep training that we dreaded, because in general, since he was born, we have just carried on with our lives and let W sleep in the car or the stroller. Now, if we're lucky we can get to the nearest mall to walk around for a bit before rushing back to the house for nap time. But I think it's worth it because once we go back to work, the nanny can manage the schedule on weekdays and we can cheat a bit on weekends, right?
So nights went well for awhile, until we started bringing him into our bed in the morning. At first, he was waking up at an acceptable time and it was just pure convenience for me to nurse him lying down in bed. Then he started waking earlier and earlier and earlier, and pretty soon he had us hostage - going to sleep every night in his own bed and waking us up at 4, 3, 2 a.m., when we were too addled to think straight and would just bring him to our bed. This was nice for cuddling but overall was not a good situation for us.
So, the sleep-training vacation. With the nanny gone all week, we went back to the basics of the book (The Sleep Easy Solution), letting him cry when he woke up too early and checking in after 5, 10, 15, 20 minutes, etc., and also coming up with a nap schedule and mini routine. The early morning thing was the hardest, but after a few nights/mornings hanging out on the couch outside the nursery, that was pretty much set. We made it to an 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. schedule, and I was shocked how easy the nap schedule has been, just letting him be awake 3-4 hours, then having a little story and some milk in the sippy and to bed!
He seems so much more well-rested and I feel like we are, too. The only downside is we have barely any time to do anything outside the house. This is the aspect of nap training and sleep training that we dreaded, because in general, since he was born, we have just carried on with our lives and let W sleep in the car or the stroller. Now, if we're lucky we can get to the nearest mall to walk around for a bit before rushing back to the house for nap time. But I think it's worth it because once we go back to work, the nanny can manage the schedule on weekdays and we can cheat a bit on weekends, right?
Happy Birthday Baby!
Well, he's officially not a baby anymore... we have a toddler on our hands!
We celebrated W's birthday in conjunction with his baptism a bit early (10 days early) to avoid the late holiday rush.
The baptism took place during the regular Sunday service at our church. We had many of our friends from the congregation there as well as friends and family who came especially for the baptism. Many of the Mexican Catholics were surprised because they have heard "Christians" (which Protestants are often called here) don't baptize babies, when actually that is more a question of denomination. Of course, we don't believe W's baptism "saved" him, but was more of a way of publicly dedicating him to God, promising to raise him in the church, etc. When he makes his own decision for Christ in the future, he may be confirmed. Or, there are those who go for full immersion. To each his own.
Anyway, after the service we headed back to our place, which we renamed "W's Farm." We rented the party room in our building, which comes with a little L-shaped garden, and there outside we had a petting zoo set up. We hired the "mobile farm" from La Granja del Tío Pepe and it was a huge hit. (W's nursery has a farm theme, so we just kept going with that.)
We also had a great taco spread with all the food homemade by W's nanny and her family, plus limeade, horchata and beer.
After lunch, we had piñatas (two) and cake... singing Happy Birthday in English and Las Mañanitas in Spanish.
I think it was a great party, but very stressful for Fran and me. I think mostly that was due to the fact that we were at church in that crucial two-hour window when one is usually putting the final touches on a party and also the fact that we did a lot ourselves (of course with the support of family and friends) rather than outsource everything to one or two pros. Anyway, the guests seemed to have a great time! And we will have a great memory of this huge milestone. W had no idea what we were celebrating for him, but one year of parenthood was quite the accomplishment for us.
Having the party before the actual birthday worked well, because it gave me some time to let it sink in and spread my emotional ups and downs over several days.
My baby is one year old! I just can't believe it. He is such a wonderful boy!
W and the case of the evil eye
So I guess when I said I was back, it was sort of a relative term. I have been insanely busy lately with mommying and work and my freelance gig, which I hope to write more about soon. When I have the odd free minute (like now that W is taking a nap), I always find something to do, whether it's work or Words with Friends (hey, a girl needs some leisure) or reading Sweet Valley Confidential, which I am both embarrassed and happy to say I finally found and bought.
One thing that kept me quite busy last month was W being sick. He is fine, and he never needed to be hospitalized or anything, but there were ER and doctor visits and tests and antibiotics and not-antibiotics and stuff.
It all started one Friday night when he had a fever that just wouldn't go down. He had been feverish for a few days, but I figured it was teething and we kept it under control with Tylenol. But that Friday night (of course, a Friday night), he was up to 104 and wouldn't budge. My mom was in town, which was great, and we took him to the ER. They gave him a cold bath, more fever-reducing stuff (by a more direct route, eep) and prescribed antibiotics. Over the next few days he seemed better and worse and better and worse. One day he was just really suffering — crying, feverish and I could tell he was in pain.
That's when things got weird and the nanny delivered the diagnosis. "Mal de ojo," she said — the evil eye. Someone had looked at him with evil or envy or covetousness or some other bad energy. In fact, she even knew who it was — one of our neighbors saying how cute he was. (The evil eye is not always "evil" — it can be completely unintentional.) And she could cure this by rubbing a raw, unopened egg over his body and then cracking it in a glass. She also told me she had told my husband this same thing and he didn't believe her, but we could just do this thing and he'd never know.
Now, this was all fun and games and I was ready to dismiss it, but then she started telling me about her cousin's baby who had died of the evil eye, and her own baby who was terribly sick with the evil eye and the doctors couldn't do anything until she was cured with the egg ritual. It sounds crazy, but when your own baby is sick, it's a bad time to try the boundaries of your disbelief.
So, that kind of scared me, but I stood firm. I told her that kind of thing was "forbidden in my religion." She never brought it up again, W got back on antibiotics (it turned out to be a virus/infection combo) and all was well again in a few days. A small part of me wonders if she did the egg thing behind my back and is now adding another to her list of scary mal de ojo stories.
It was a bad time — poor baby was so miserable, and we were all so confused about what was wrong. The doctor even had him tested for typhoid at one point, to give you an idea of how bad it was. (Apparently there is no test for mal de ojo.) Baby was forced to give blood, stool and urine samples (if you are interested in the awful mechanics of this I will explain sometime) which was not pretty. Finally once all that took place he got on the right medicine and got better, and I thank God for that! (Not some egg!!)
One thing that kept me quite busy last month was W being sick. He is fine, and he never needed to be hospitalized or anything, but there were ER and doctor visits and tests and antibiotics and not-antibiotics and stuff.
Cracking up in the ER after he started feeling slightly better
It all started one Friday night when he had a fever that just wouldn't go down. He had been feverish for a few days, but I figured it was teething and we kept it under control with Tylenol. But that Friday night (of course, a Friday night), he was up to 104 and wouldn't budge. My mom was in town, which was great, and we took him to the ER. They gave him a cold bath, more fever-reducing stuff (by a more direct route, eep) and prescribed antibiotics. Over the next few days he seemed better and worse and better and worse. One day he was just really suffering — crying, feverish and I could tell he was in pain.
That's when things got weird and the nanny delivered the diagnosis. "Mal de ojo," she said — the evil eye. Someone had looked at him with evil or envy or covetousness or some other bad energy. In fact, she even knew who it was — one of our neighbors saying how cute he was. (The evil eye is not always "evil" — it can be completely unintentional.) And she could cure this by rubbing a raw, unopened egg over his body and then cracking it in a glass. She also told me she had told my husband this same thing and he didn't believe her, but we could just do this thing and he'd never know.
Now, this was all fun and games and I was ready to dismiss it, but then she started telling me about her cousin's baby who had died of the evil eye, and her own baby who was terribly sick with the evil eye and the doctors couldn't do anything until she was cured with the egg ritual. It sounds crazy, but when your own baby is sick, it's a bad time to try the boundaries of your disbelief.
So, that kind of scared me, but I stood firm. I told her that kind of thing was "forbidden in my religion." She never brought it up again, W got back on antibiotics (it turned out to be a virus/infection combo) and all was well again in a few days. A small part of me wonders if she did the egg thing behind my back and is now adding another to her list of scary mal de ojo stories.
It was a bad time — poor baby was so miserable, and we were all so confused about what was wrong. The doctor even had him tested for typhoid at one point, to give you an idea of how bad it was. (Apparently there is no test for mal de ojo.) Baby was forced to give blood, stool and urine samples (if you are interested in the awful mechanics of this I will explain sometime) which was not pretty. Finally once all that took place he got on the right medicine and got better, and I thank God for that! (Not some egg!!)
I'm baaaack
Or am I? I started this post yesterday on my new iPad and I was sooo excited to be able to blog without using my work computer (I just start feeling all work-y just turning it on, even after hours) or our home computer, which takes 5 years to boot up. But after entering the super-optimistic post title above, I discovered I was not really back! Because Quick Blogcast (GoDaddy's free blogging tool), which I've known for awhile was not the best set-up, doesn't work on iPads. I know, I mean, who uses those newfangled thingamabobs anyway?) Anyway, Quick Blogcast doesn't recognize the post template's main text field, which is problematic for many reasons. So that leaves me with three options:
- Blog only via post titles (would be original but a bit limiting)
- Continue to struggle through my current situation
- Switch to another blogging platform.
For a LONG while I've been thinking about switching (probably to Wordpress) but I think this is the kick in the rear I need to do so. The idea is a little daunting, what with exporting and importing and whatnot, and I would also like some new art (a new header). So maybe over the holidays I'll buckle down and get on all that. Any advice is most welcome.
In the meantime, I am going to do what I can! I really miss blogging, but between working, mommying and the fact that my husband has a new and very demanding job that has kind of changed our domestic setup a bit, it's not easy to find the time and energy. But find it, I must! So, see you soon around bloggyland, people! (I started to write blogosphere, but it sounded too hoity toity.)
I was going to end this post with an adorable pic of my seemingly impossible 10.5 month old, but you guessed it, Quick Blogcast is again conspiring against me.
When animals attack
So, file this under the weirdest* thing that ever happened to me while breastfeeding my baby.
On our recent trip to DC (which was awesome by the way), we settled in on a bench somewhat near the Vietnam Memorial so W could get some milk. I was not aware this was the territory of this psycho maneating squirrel.
At first, I was like, "aww, how cute! he's so tame!" So tame he would NOT leave us alone. This thing literally would have been on top of me and the baby had Fran not been their to shoo him away again and again. And he kept jumping back up. Maybe he could smell Tastykake on the baby's breath since his daddy had just given him his first few crumbs? Anyway, I really thought he was going to bite us. And if you don't believe me, he did bite Fran's foot at some point (just the shoe, thankfully — no rabid husband).
Finally he went away to bother some other tourists. Psycho.
*The weirdest breastfeeding moment, not the most annoying — that would have to be the lady who told me I had plumber's crack while I was breastfeeding, which I am not sure she was telling me to be nice. It came off kind of witchy, and also made me really nervous and self-conscious, which is NOT conducive to breastfeeding. I did cover my rear though.
On our recent trip to DC (which was awesome by the way), we settled in on a bench somewhat near the Vietnam Memorial so W could get some milk. I was not aware this was the territory of this psycho maneating squirrel.
At first, I was like, "aww, how cute! he's so tame!" So tame he would NOT leave us alone. This thing literally would have been on top of me and the baby had Fran not been their to shoo him away again and again. And he kept jumping back up. Maybe he could smell Tastykake on the baby's breath since his daddy had just given him his first few crumbs? Anyway, I really thought he was going to bite us. And if you don't believe me, he did bite Fran's foot at some point (just the shoe, thankfully — no rabid husband).
Finally he went away to bother some other tourists. Psycho.
*The weirdest breastfeeding moment, not the most annoying — that would have to be the lady who told me I had plumber's crack while I was breastfeeding, which I am not sure she was telling me to be nice. It came off kind of witchy, and also made me really nervous and self-conscious, which is NOT conducive to breastfeeding. I did cover my rear though.