Chicago Update

When I left for Chicago, I was dealing with a bit of a funk. Things are looking up now. In the last two days I've heard talks ranging from a fairly hard-core breastfeeding pharmacology session by Thomas Hale (I loved this talk being a medicinal chemist and all) to a discussion of natural childbirth by Ina May Gaskin to a discipline session given by William and Martha Sears to a talk celebrating the importance and value of breastfeeding from Peggy O'Mara. Everything I have heard has driven home for me the importance of gentle, loving guidance for kids starting at birth with the first nursing session and evolving as the child does to encompass lots of touch, respect, and safe limit setting. No one ever said that parenting is easy work, and it may in fact be harder to follow an attachment parenting paradigm, but if you look at the evidence, and you look at all the healthy, sweet kiddos roaming the halls of this conference, then you can see why parenting is such an important job. It's been affirming to hear all these greats in the field of breastfeeding/attachment parenting while at the same time tickling my baby and looking at all the other kids in the room. I'm feeling better about the world in general and parenting in particular.

I also love Chicago, and with the cool days that the Chamber of Commerce clearly ordered up for this anniversary conference, it's been fun being outside. Kieran and I sat outside at a coffee shop on Michigan Avenue yesterday. I looked down at the Congress Hotel. It used to be the Pick Congress, and my parents and I attended a fancy dinner there one night back in middle school when my dad passed his CPA exam and all the new CPA's were honored. I felt like such a grown-up that night. Then I remembered how I played in a concert with my high school band for a music educators' conference at the Hilton. And here I am again, at the Hilton, this time as a grown-up, attending my very own conference with my very own baby by my side.

Liam and Kevin have been having a great time doing the tourist thing. We were here last summer for a conference for Kevin, and Liam's now playing the old pro and showing his dad how cool the Navy Pier, the Museum of Science and Industry, and other spots are. As opposed to last year when it was really, really hot and humid, it's been dry and cool here, so no one has collapsed with the heat, and we've been eating outside whenever we have the chance. Kieran and I met the guys for lunch at the Navy Pier today. We sat outside and tried to explain the difference between the ocean and Lake Michigan to Liam - "But, Mommy, there's a lighthouse! That means it's an ocean!" I got some great photos of the boys, but I may have to wait until I get home to post them as Blogger isn't being photo-friendly tonight. (What's up with Blogger?? The other night it wouldn't let me post paragraphs. Anyway.) Trust me, though, everyone's having a fantastic time.

No one found my wallet, so that's the one thorn in all of this. We're going to see if we can get a photocopy of my birth certificate and/or a photocopy of my driver's license to help at the airport on Wednesday. However, since this is a post-9/11 world, we may not be able to, so things could get interesting trying to get home. If all else fails, the back-up plan is to run out and buy two car seats and then rent a car. It's about 15 hours home....hhhhmmmm, how many times can a 3-year-old ask, "Are we there yet?" in that time frame????

Wish us luck, and pray we never find the answer to that question!