Places Rachel Eats

In January at our 'BabyTalk' class, we had a discussion about where we feed our babies.  Do we nurse in public, or is it a private event we do at home?  Is it okay for women to feed their babies in the community?  Well, since I don't like to spend too much time inside at home, I have fed Rachel here and there and everywhere and I hope that people around me will be supportive of this.

Like it or not, breast feeding has become a huge part of our lives in the last 6 months.  I have grown to enjoy this special bond with Rachel.  But Rachel's schedule revolves around when she eats.  When visiting most people, we drive and arrive and the first thing we do is feed Rachel.  She's almost 6 months old and she still feeds every 2-3 hours - that's a LOT!  

So, here are all the places I have nursed Rachel.  In many cases, she has also had her diaper changed at these locations.  It has now become my goal to add fun and interesting places to this list as time goes on...

• at home: on the couch, rocking chair, umbrella chair, standing, walking, computer chair, bed, on the floor leaning against the wall, in the basement guest bed, on the floor leaning against the treadmill, in the bath, and even on the toilet!
• at friend's and family's houses
• in planes, in the Vancouver, Kelowna, Spokane, Denver, Seattle, Chicago, and Wash Dulles airports 
• in my car - in either front seat or back seat, while car is parked just about anywhere and in friends' and families' cars, too!
• outside in the snow, next to a trail (near Breckenridge and Kimberley)
  
• in the BodyWorld exhibit at Science World (next to a cadaver display!)
• at restaurants (diners, coffee shops, etc)
• in the dining room at our grandparents' seniors center
• in hotel rooms
• in a ski hut (Methow Valley), in the NickelPlate ski lodge, at Mt Washington's lodge, at the BOEC old cabin, and at Ken's Cabin at over 11,000ft elevation
• at the skating rink in Victoria
• at the Health Centre, the hospital waiting room, the doctor's office, and the library
• in a bathroom stall 
• malls: Penticton, Kelowna, Victoria, Potomac Mills
  
•  at the REI in Denver in the women's clothing section and at the REI in Seattle
• at the top of the Rockefeller tower, on the ferry to Staten island, and in the Met museum next to greek pottery

Thank goodness we were able to breast feed.  I can't imagine using formula and having to organize that sort of thing on the go.  What a miraculous thing the human body is!

Spokane airport

Methow Valley Hut, WA

Old Cabin, Breckenridge CO

snowshoeing to Boreas Pass, CO

Nordic Skiing with Brian and Jane, Kimberley BC

Top of Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building behind

Ferry to Staten Island, overlooking the Statue of Liberty

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City

Playtime with Rachel

Some of you may wonder what we do in all our spare time (ha) since we haven't written in a few weeks. Actually, we spend a lot of time making up silly songs or actions to make Rachel smile and laugh. She is growing so fast, and we have a great time playing with her. Some of these moments are best recorded on video; enjoy these we captured at home this morning.

Above Rachel's change table, she has a chain of elephants hanging with a bell on the end. Steph brought it back for her from India (which is why we don't let her actually eat it), and she has enjoyed it for months. Today she was super-giggly while watching the bell.

Rachel can't crawl yet, but she's certainly trying to figure out how. Her movements make it look like she is dancing "The Worm." You can also see she is learning to pace herself; after a period of dancing exercise, she knows to take a rest and calm down by sucking her thumb.

Mommy was playing on the floor with Rachel, using the music from the Chicken Dance to entertain her. Rachel loves to have her legs jiggled around at the same time. More giggles.

Cranbrook Visit: March 4-7, 2011

Meggan's Aunt Jane and Uncle Brian live in Cranbrook, BC - a 7 hour drive from Penticton.  Since a) we wanted to get away b) they hadn't met Rachel yet and c) we lucked out with Jason's work schedule and scored a fluke long weekend, we decided to hit the road and go visit.

We left Friday mid-morning, and Rachel slept most of the way and entertained herself nicely when she was awake.  Mommy did some creative photography to capture our little traveler in the mirror. The trip was uneventful... a quick stop to feed everyone and change Rachel's clothes in Grand Forks ... a smoothie at our favorite place in Christina Lake (Smoochies) ... some bighorn sheep... and we made it to their house in time for a lovely dinner and bed.

Although we've been known to brag about how great Rachel is at sleeping and traveling, she hadn't been her usual angelic self in the 1-2 weeks prior to this trip.  Our first night was no exception, as Rachel reminded us that she is in control of our lives and woke often, angry at us for leaving her in her Phil&Ted's travel crib while we stayed up and chatted with Brian and Jane.

Rachel's shades never fail to entertain

Although Brian and Jane pretended that they are getting old and are not in shape, we did manage to go out for a walk in the snow in the area behind their house Saturday morning.  It was a beautiful, warm day and we all worked up a sweat trudging around in the snow.  The afternoon saw a new MOJO family record - we parents ditched Rachel with a keen babysitter in Jane and took off for the ski hill.  A half-day ticket had never looked so good. Kimberley was a new resort for us; we enjoyed exploring the fantastic snow and views and Meggan only phoned to check in once!  It felt amazing to get away and ski together and we scored an awesome day on the hill.  We didn't take any breaks and were both exhausted by the last run of the day before heading back.

For the record, Meggan and Jason have now (downhill) skied together at the following resorts: Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Beaver Creek, Shames Mountain, Wintergreen, Whistler, Apex, Big White, Mt. Baldy, Lake Louise, Mt. Washington, and Kimberley.  This is a list we will continue to work on in time!

Meggan prepares to dive into the trees of "Good Luck"

Jane spoiled us all weekend with amazing food and gracious hospitality, and Jason talked Brian's ear off about all the things in the world that annoy us and make us laugh.  Surprisingly, Jason and Brian have a lot in common and, not surprisingly, could talk for quite a while about cars/planes/maps/hockey/sports/rednecks... etc.  Jane and Brian seemed to enjoy watching Rachel, snuggling with her, and making her laugh!

Sunday we cajoled Jane and Brian into joining us at the Kimberley Nordic Center to drag Rachel around some cross country trails.  Despite being a little confused on the directions (Why create so many one-way sections on a green cross-country trail?), we enjoyed a gorgeous afternoon outside and Rachel had a great nap as she slid along behind Meggan. Uncle Brian even borrowed our skate-skis for a few strides during a snack break, and performed quite well. Next time we ski together he'll be leaving us in the dust!

By Sunday night, Rachel remembered how to sleep well again and continued to behave like the wonderful little traveler she is on Monday for our drive home.  We stopped at Smoochies again on the way home for lunch. While there, we tried the a new diaper change location -- on the floor mat -- as Rachel is getting too long to change on a lap. Although Daddy's technique needs some tweaking, Rachel seemed to enjoy looking up at the bottom of the dashboard.

Next trip: Seattle/Virginia/NYC for Spring Break...