Typing in the title for the 52 project certainly makes you aware of time passing.
"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."
Every night she likes to run around outside, burning off the last of her energy for the day.
These photos are quite deceiving. They give off an aura of a calm little girl but my shutter speed was set fast trying to capture all her running, rolling and jumping.
You are a bit like my dad. When I had my girl and began breastfeeding, he would avert his eyes or leave the room. When I spoke to him about it, he explained that he didn't want me to feel uncomfortable.
We talked.
My dad is very pro-breastfeeding and he understood from our discussion that I felt that what I was doing was very natural and that I wasn't in any way embarrassed. I have breastfed in front of my dad numerous times since with no awkwardness and no further misunderstanding.
I think my dad is a bit like you. He would prefer a "discreet" method of breastfeeding in public. Although my dad has always strongly encouraged my convictions of feminism and equality (and indeed nurtured them), he is also a little old-fashioned in some matters.
As I explained to my dad, what I would like to explain to you is that to ask women to be discreet about breastfeeding makes me feel that what I am doing should be hidden and this leads onto feeling that something is wrong with breastfeeding.
My girl didn't like a muslin or anything else placed over her when feeding. Many mothers have other children that they need to keep an eye on while still feeding their baby. There are many and varied reasons as to why covering up when breastfeeding is not an option or a need.
I never experienced negative comments or glares and never a complaint. I would have been completely mortified had anyone complained about me breastfeeding my child on the beach or in the shopping centre or in a cafe.
And then I would inform them of my civil rights.
Breastfeeding is natural. It should be normal. I would really like for people who have a problem with women breastfeeding in public or think they should be "discreet" to examine as to how they have arrived at that opinion. Was it your parents opinion? Do breasts simply function as sexual parts of the body? Is there something distasteful when a baby is being breastfed (do you feel put off your food that someone might breastfeed near you in cafe/ restaurant)?
Mr Koch, as a person with a public voice, please think about the messages you are contributing to in our society.
I often meet up with a girlfriend to go into the city during the week. There is often a few fun things on plus being out of suburbia brightens my mood and saves me from feeling being overwhelmed from the suburban mum park-itius.
Miss
s is a huge fan of public art, specifically sculpture. Having a toddler has given me a new appreciation
for my surroundings. Who knew Perth had so many amazing public sculptures!
Miss s loves the frog who lives in the little sound park next to the city museum.
This is miss s' favourite sculpture. It is Der Rufer (The Caller) by Gerhard Marcks. She loves his feet and toes and how he had both hands around his mouth shouting. Sometimes at night after our bath time we look look at the photos we have taken that day. This statue was specifically requested.
My personal favourite?
You
know your child is understanding some concept of potty training when
she labels a Matisse nude going "potty" (at the top of her voice as only a toddler can).
My sweet girl, you have seriously dived head first into the "terrible toddler" years. It has been a little exhausting for both of us. As a little baby, your arsenic hour was not late afternoon but rather early morning and so it continues in your toddler years. Some mornings, I am ready for hard liquor by 9am (which makes me think of my past life in Praha).
The past two weeks have been hard if I am honest. You have morphed from an easy going little bubby to a little girl with serious attitude. Your frowns and jutting lips were sweet at first but I have learned to grow a little weary of them in quite a short a time. I can see that I am about to learn some lessons in patience. As are you, my love.
We went to Landsdale School Farm today. Your delight in seeing first hand the animals you read so much about almost broke my heart. And at $5 for the two of us, this is an outing we will be able to do often. After you are in bed at night, I down load these photos from my camera and I show your dad/ upload to fb/ send to relatives or simply look at them and say to myself.
"She is happy. I am doing a good job being her mama". *
*because sometimes in the midst or in the aftermath of the screaming of the toddler tantrums and being a first time mama, it is necessary to reassure myself of this
