It's Halloween; Give the Baby Some CANDY (not ice)!

Funny thing about pregnancy -- at no other time in my life would I smile when a good-natured but slightly mischievous student directed traffic around me in a hallway saying, "Coming through. . .watch out people. . .wide load, comin' through. . . ." What a dear! In actuality, Daniel was being more sweet than sarcastic since some of those itty bitty sixth-graders who tote backpacks twice their size are much more rambunctious and even less sure-footed in the halls than I am. Especially the as Halloween approacheth.

Let's see, we've had a full moon, a football game, and a Halloween dance all in one school week. Needless to say, the kids (and their teachers) have been off their rockers. I actually found myself slamming my hand down on my podium during my last class on Friday and saying -- very loudly -- "No one is leaving this classroom to go to the nurse for ice! Ice, contrary to popular belief, does NOT cure everything! We are taking a quiz, so sit down and get happy about it!!" Whew. At my school ice is dispensed as a cure for headaches (ouch!), styes in eyes, sprains and bruises of all kinds, but mostly as a cure for the "I want to get out of class for five to ten minutes" syndrome. What the nurse needs to be dispensing in that office is CANDY! I mean the kids do go to a lot of trouble to put on their best "Oh, I'm so injured, watch me hobble about, favoring the opposite ankle that I claim to have sprained" costumes. Or their "My head mysteriously aches everytime the teacher mentions the word, 'test'" face masks. Go ahead, give 'em some candy for their efforts! At least the candy would be eaten and done with rather than melting and leaking out of its bag all over the classroom, leading to -- you guessed it -- another trip to the nurse to drain the offending water and refill with more ICE. Also, candy would appease the teachers as well as the students, especially if it was chocolate candy!

Here's what I plan to teach my son about all of this: 1) good chocolate is a much more powerful antidote than ice, 2) studying for tests and quizzes decreases one's fear of them, and 3) a teacher's patience can only stretch so far; messing with a (pregnant) teacher on a Friday is like skating on paper-thin ICE!

Who Knew Feeding the Baby Could Cause Such a Commotion?

Baby Question Number One. . . . Breastfeeding -- Too Risque for Public, um, Consumption?

Ok, you guys know me well enough to understand the irony involved when a person flings the phrase "stinkin' crunchy hippie-chick" in my direction. I mean, I pretty much don't leave the house without at least mascara and lip gloss on. I do own Birkenstocks, but the toenails displayed in them are always painted. That's just me -- you get the point. But when it comes to baby issues, apparently I have some pretty "stinkin' crunchy hippie-chick" ideas.

Since I found out I was pregnant, I have spent some time on an iVillage discussion board for women due in December. I have gleaned some valuable information from the other women there, but recently, several topics have developed into heated debates. The one which has intrigued and bothered me the most has centered around the concept of breastfeeding. Now, I hope to breastfeed for a full year, and I hadn't expected to spend the entire year sequestered in the house. I did think that I might actually go places with the baby. And feed Liam at those places. However, according to some women on the discussion board, ALL breastfeeding moms should do "that" at home or in *restrooms*. These women believe breastfeeding in public is the height of rudeness. One stated that the breast is a sexual organ and that even though breastfeeding moms try to feed their babies as discretely as possible -- we're not talking about waving boobs around or flashing strangers -- a baby nursing from a breast rather than a bottle made too many people uncomfortable. Therefore, any considerate mom would never think of breastfeeding in a public venue.

I am curious to hear what you think. . . .

Meghan (in case you thought Will had taken to wearing lip gloss)

Hey There, Everybody!

Welcome to Liam Chandler's blog! He, as you may have figured out, is not posting this since he's in-utero and all, so his loving parents will be filling in for a while. As soon as Liam's dad figures out the whole ftp thing, we'll post some photos, etc. His technical advisor has moved to Japan, so this may take a bit of time. Can you still help from the other side of the world, Uncle Technical Advisor?

We'll also post comments and questions here that we'd like to get your feedback on. And since Liam's mom will also be working with this site, it may actually get updated on a fairly regular basis! Thats it for now. Liam says, "HIIIIIII-YA!" (that's him kicking, you see. That's pretty much his favorite pastime these days.)