Calvary cafe is back

I got all excited and worked up about posting about the protest last night, and didn't get around to posting anything else from my day.

The best part was that Calvary Cafe and the Kids' Club program restarted last night. The kids were tremendously excited to be back. They were eagerly running off to kids' club. I got their paperwork filled out and went back to the big room that gets used for the cafe dinner, where fordprfct was keeping Alanna for me while I was getting the big kids settled. I got back to find Alanna in her godmama's arms - Mary and Bruce were there. It was lovely, since Alanna was in a nice awake, social, smiley mood, and got to spend a lot of the evening with her godparents. I felt so unencumbered, going up to get my dinner without having to be concerned about any kids!

And it was a great dinner. Chicken caesar totally fails to express what great things Phil can do with a chicken breast, romaine, cheese, and grapes. And garlic bread, and roast potato. OooOooOoh. I went ahead and got a plate for selenite just wrapped up in foil until he got there, and it's well I did, since they'd run out by the time he got there.

Mary went and picked up the kids at the end of Kids Club. They were so happy. Came running and shouting to see their Daddy. They were "helping" put all the chairs away, too - at least helping push the chair-hanging storage things across the room. And playing with their godparents, and Mary Ruth, and just generally running around having a good time. Maggie was totally wound up like a top. Jamie was trying to join into chase games and saying "I got you! I got you!"

I'd missed this, I'm glad to have it back in our lives.

sign advice

Okay, so I'm told it would be really good for us to have signs for the breastfeeding protest Saturday.

Figuring out what to put on the signs I can do. I may ask Maggie if she wants one, and ask what she wants on it. One other mother did that - she reports that her son said “Grown ups are supposed to be feeding their babies and you guys are being mean”

But I don't know HOW to make protest signs. Never really did that sort of thing before. What's an easy way to make signs? Where do you find the stuff to make them? What's the easiet way? I'm picturing ideally some sort of firm cardboard thing that you could oh, I dunno, peel off a sheet covering a sticky side and put a nice color printed-out sign from my computer onto it. Does such a thing exist, and where do you buy it? And what do I use for a handle? Maybe a paint stirrer stick, those are pretty easy to get.

Advise me?

Baby stages

We are entering the "suicidal elf" stage of childhood here. Alanna is sitting on the boppy in my lap facing me, wanting conversation and eye contact. Sometimes if I take my hands off her she'll lean into my chest. But frequently she will attempt to FLING herself backwards onto my keyboard. And it really does feel like FLING, not fall.

I find that sometimes when typing it works best if I have the shoulder of her oneside clenched between my teeth as a stabilizer.

Also, apparently she finds spitting up on me to be hysterically funny.

More baby pics

Gotta keep at it, I know the grandparents want 'em!
( Read more... )

There was just something about the cute little plump baby feet sticking out that totally won me.
( Two Alanna and Maggie pics from today )

protest frustration

Oh, this is not happy. Various of the people from the DFW area on the protest's email list are now saying oh no, they aren't willing to do the protest on the sidewalk and the area between the sidewalk and the street (which you need to do so that you're on *public* property and the business can't tell you to leave), that's too *dangerous*! What about their kids?

Well, I have a kid who'd be very difficult to get to stay safely out of traffic - and I plan to have him securely strapped into a stroller.

These other women are now talking about well, we'll just go inside and order and nurse, and maybe they'll tell us to leave, and we can make a big fuss about it!

I hate this idea. I do not intend to bring ANY business or spend any money with that restaurant as long as they keep up their current attitudes. And I want to educate the public, not pull some stunt to make a fuss.

Or, they said, we could just meet in some OTHER restaurant! Um, this is a protest, not a lunch date.

Feeling very John Adams-ish, "This is a revolution, damnit, we're going to have to offend somebody!"