Nora's first (play)date

Here are Nora and her 'boyfriend' Brady, awwwwwwww!






Look at that - he went in for the kiss, and on the first date, no less!

Callie and Nora's five seconds of fame

Here we are being interviewed by Fox News of Phoenix:

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4303938&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

We're at the very end of the clip, and although they did not show any of the articulate things I said, I did provide some articulate commentary before the lovely soundbite they show here...

And here is a pic, check out the sign! It was so creative, one of the moms made it and the news crew loved it:

A lactivism blog

So, this is my very first non-Nora, socially concious, lactivist blog, inspired by the upcoming nurse-out at Applebees Restaurant, which is to protest their anti-family, anti-breastfeeding corporate and francise policies. More info is below, in the announcement about our local event

But first, just to say, I can understand why some people are uncomfortable with nursing in public. It is definitely a cultural bias, as we have been indoctrinated with the idea that breasts only relate to sex and are only to be used to hold up triangle top bikinis, sell cars, be groped in a rap video, or sell lingerie.

But it is beyond me why people who have no problems with the near-naked women in Victoria Secret ads then do have a problem with a tiny flash of skin on a nursing mother.

What really bugs me, are suggestions that mothers should cover up with a blanket, go eat in a bathroom, or wait til they get home. Do you eat under a blanket? In a bathroom? Do you wait til you get home for a snack, a meal, or a drink of water?

Some people say they are uncomfortable with their young children seeing babies nursing in public. But that is a perfect opportunity to educate your child - you can simply say "that baby is being fed" - instead of imparting your own cultural biases of objectification of women on your innocent child.

Maybe you could think about it this way: that mother is investing in society - breastfeeding lowers the rate of common illnesses and later risk of obesity in the infant and lowers the rate of cancer in the mother. Less days that the mother has to miss work to take care of a sick child, and less burden on our insurance premiums and healthcare system by the child.

But even more importantly, in many states (including here in Arizona and in Kentucky, where the incident that started this protest ocurred), there are laws that protect the right of a mother to breastfeed, without having to cover up, in any public or private place that she is otherwise allowed to be in. So whether or not it makes you uncomfortable is beyond the point - it is the law - end of story.

So, here's where I'll be on Saturday... and after that, back to the regularly scheduled Nora-thon:

PUBLIC PROTESTS APPLEBEE'S RESTAURANTS NATIONWIDE

WHAT : Breastfeeding advocates will gather across the country to protest Applebee's Restaurants standing corporate policy of discrimination against mothers with nursing babies.
WHEN : Saturday, September 8, 2007 at 7:00 pm
WHERE : Applebee's Restaurant, 2547 N 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008
WHO : Sponsored by Birth Without Boundaries, International; and local grassroots organizers
WHY : On June 14, 2007, while Ms. Ryan was breastfeeding her baby discreetly in a corner booth during an anniversary dinner with her family, an Applebee's Manager asked her to cover her baby with a blanket. Ms. Ryan responded by producing a copy of the Kentucky law that states that "no person shall interfere with a woman breastfeeding her child." The manager, after reviewing the statute, continued to insist that she had to "cover the baby with a blanket" if she wanted to breastfeed in the restaurant, and that nursing her child was "indecent." The family left the restaurant in tears before being served their meal.

"When I go to a restaurant, I am not forced to eat under a blanket. I don't understand why my baby isn't given the same respect," said Diane Targovnik, a Phoenix attorney who helped organize the local Applebee's nurse-in. "We are here to normalize breastfeeding. When breastfeeding becomes normalized, then issues like blankets becomes irrelevant and we can then focus on why human breastmilk is the best food for human babies," said Targovnik, who will attend the protest with her seven-month-old exclusively breastfed nursling, LeahHadas Targovnik Jacobs.

In the spirit of the existing diversity and inclusion policy published by Applebee's Restaurants, Birth Without Boundaries, Intl. is asking the corporation to adopt and implement an official breastfeeding friendly policy. "Because most public breastfeeding laws do not provide a clear remedy for women who are harassed or discriminated against," said Salem Hamilton, Executive Director of Birth Without Boundaries, International, "we are asking for breastfeeding supporters across the country to encourage their legislators to add enforcement provisions to their state's laws that would provide the protection women and babies need."