Thursday, August 9, 2012

feminism in motherhood

i have been reading and thinking a lot lately about one aspect of motherhood in general: feminism. no, they are not mutually exclusive, but, for me at the very least and i'm sure for countless other women, bound and intertwined.

how to i teach feminism to my daughter? how do i ensure that she grows to become an intelligent and self-aware woman who knows her boundaries and respects herself. How can i help her create for herself a fulfilling future? how can i instill a confidence in her that doesn't require the shaming of others?

and for now, how do i nurture my beautiful, inquisitive baby girl while still prioritizing myself and my needs?

so far, i don't have any of the answers to these questions. i am only doing my best. (is my best good enough?)

these are themes i really hope to touch on in this dear old blog of mine. the title of my blog is a play on words meant to invoke the rock and roll spirit and lifestyle, but is also about rocking the boat: asking hard questions and maybe voicing some not so popular opinions. I'm still working on truly articulating my feelings and simply trying to keep up a fairly good quality, interesting blog, but i hope as i grow these subjects will come into play more and more often and my blog will be more meaningful than just a few poorly lit family photographs. (i mean of course, meaningful on a worldly scale, after all, what could be more meaningful to me and my family than the very moments captured in those photos?) i want to touch peoples lives and inspire productive thinking.
stay tuned.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

rosie waltzes

i'm expecting to be MIA for awhile. Blake and I are going out of town on sunday for his brother's wedding, and i am soo excited! until then, though, i have a lot of things to get done around the house and while we're there we'll be very busy. quite honestly, i'm still not used to this blogging all the time business (i'm trying!) so i'll just do the best i can and not give myself too hard of a time about it.

to tide you folks over for awhile, here is a video chronicling rosie's very first time in her jolly jumper. she doesn' really understand how to jump just yet, but for a few bars of this video, she does a near perfect waltz. go rosebud!

Friday, August 3, 2012

next step to freedom!

so yesterday for the first time ever, rosie took a bottle. like actually took it. like took the nipple into her mouth and actually sucked! I have given her a bottle from time to time with limited success. as in, i've had to literally squeeze tiny amounts of milk into her mouth and wait for her to swallow, and then repeat.

I'd heard from various sources that some babies are picky about bottles and their respective nipples and that you just need to find the right bottle. given my meagre parental benefits cheques, i was reluctant to go out and buy every bottle on the market, bt yesterday I was at winners and they had one for sale, so i decided to go for it. and hail mary full of grace, it worked.

so here, against all odds, is one tiny step toward freedom. don't get me wrong, i plan on breastfeeding for as long s i can possibly manage, but here's to the odd night out with the girls, here's to babysitters and maybe going for an occasional lunch with a friend sans baby, and here's to the possibility of me finishing my degree in the foreseeable future! here's to happy motherhood, contented mother and child and just a touch of freedom.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

nineties teenagers

as you all know, i have a funny little habit of watching tv while nursing. i'm not exactly proud of it and would probably feel a lot better about doing something like reading books instead, but i've tried that and nursing just seems to make more sense logistically. if only i had an ereader!

my former program of choice was Masterchef Australia and I loved it until the end, but when the season finally wrapped up, I had no idea what to watch. I was looking for something that would be a guilty pleasure and somewhat self-indulgent. hey, if i'm going slumming in tv land i might as well go all the way, right? I love programs like AMC's *The Walking Dead* or HBO's *OZ*, but during nursing time i didn't want anything violent. I've never been one to watch these new reality show programs like housewives of wherever or *jersey shore* and i'm pretty consistently nostalgic for the nineties. something about being a kid and looking at teenagers in awe thinking that one day i would be a teenager just like them! Thing is, i was a teenager in the oh-nos and i never got to be that nineties teenager i always thought i would be. therefore, my choice of nursing program was narrowed down enough that my choice became clear.

my mom never ket me watch it when i was growing up! this is finally my chance to find out who ends up with whom! i'm unreasonably stoked.

anybody else out there have any guilty pleasures you care to share? i'm interested!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

baby blues v. 2.0

oh my goodness oh my goodness.

my sister-in-law sweet marie sent rosebud a whole whack of baby girl clothes from thailand... just take a look at rosie in her new dress. those baby blues!!!

ps. feeling much better than the other day. i knew it would pass!