nursing at the polls...

I had the brilliant idea to go to the polls early on Friday. Little did I know, Friday was the last day for early voting and there was only one location to vote early in my county! So:



LAST DAY + ONE LOCATION = 6 HOURS OF STANDING IN LINE



Normally, I wouldn't complain about this kind of thing. My former mommy-self would have left once I saw the monstrous line. My new mommy-self, however, saw the line and decided to tackle it head on for two major reasons:



1) The weather was great and I couldn't guarantee that it would be so good on Tuesday...I didn't want to get stuck waiting in a line with a baby in the rain or the cold (even a short line)

2) I am on maternity leave and apparently have nothing better to do.



So, I found a group of voting buddies and made fast friends because I knew that I would be a line jumper. My line buddies consisted of a grandmotherly woman, two college buddies, a college professor a Lakota Native American and his wife and me...and KR.


WOW!

So, how did I manage to stand in line for 6 hours with a 7 week old child you ask?


I THANK GOD for the maya wrap baby sling, first of all. KR loves that thing and she slept for most of the time. I was really worried about what I would do when she was ready to eat. I'm a nursing novice, so the whole standing up thing was freaking me out. But when she needed to nurse or have a diaper change, my line buddies allowed me to get out of the line and go to the car or the Jamaican restaurant next to the board of voter's registration building (snaps for chicken patties and coco bread). I enjoyed some great conversation (perhaps because it has been a while since I had conversations with adults) and not one of us discussed who we were voting for! I'm glad though because I would have hated to have my perception these people ruined by finding out their political preference. Oh, and the highlight of the day? The Ice Cream Man made an appearance sometime during the 5th hour (snaps for chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches)!



KR is doing great. We have finally gotten her eczema under control with the help of a pediatric dermatologist, so her skin is returning back to normal. she is starting to smile more these days, especially when she wakes up in the morning. She is very long (already 24 inches!) and I don't know how much she weighs, but I'm sure its at least 10 lbs now. She has quite a personality too...she's definitely the boss of the house. She has learned how to whine just enough to get what she needs without crying. My latest venture is learning to put her down when she falls asleep. so far, it has only happened once (that's how I'm able to post right now). I think the trick is to put her down on her stomach. I know, SIDS blah blah, but I'm watching her and it's the only way she can sleep without smacking herself in the head with her own arms...sweet peace!



Here are some pictures taken of her last week.