Santa Extortion
Posted by: Bri on: November 24, 2011
So we went with my sister (and the kids she nannies) to visit Santa at the mall yesterday. Grant had to work but I told him I’d take pictures and send them right to his phone so he could take part in experience.
Except that didn’t work cause Santa is an extortionist.
“$16 for a photo with Santa and no you may not snap one with your own camera or phone,” chimed an angry little elf. Since when does Santa charge
children? I guess the elves probably went on strike because they received so little wages for all the iPads and pods they’re making this Christmas. I mean, that is a lot of work. That may’ve forced the big man’s hand. Still, I’m not sure I can justify $16 for one measly non-digital copy of a photo of my son sitting on a big guy in a red suit (even for the elves).
Only then I realize… He’s not even wearing the suit. No really. He’s dressed in a cheap looking green shirt and suspenders. Wow, all that holiday work must really be tiring him out if he can’t even manage to get dressed to meet kids. Oh but maybe Coke Cola has decided to copyright the suit and charge royalties on the use of the image.
So we forgo capturing the memory and just let Bracko sit on the guy’s lap. Then he offers him a sucker. And by this point I’m finding every fault I can in this charitable holiday figure … He only has suckers. What about diabetic kids or kids too young for sugar?
The best part of the whole thing was the 8yo girl my sister nannies. When Santa asked if shed been a good girl this year her face went as white as sheet. It was like she thought: “Oh crap. He really asks that question?!” After some cajoling she gave him a guilty sounding “yeah”. When questioned about it later she said she just wanted to be honest. Love that girl.
The day was well redeemed though when Grant was able to go with us to see the lights at the Riverwoods shopping center later that evening and there he was… The real Santa Claus. Red suit, no extortion, and toy rubber ducks as well as candy canes. Thanks Santa!
Breastfeeding is Beautiful
Posted by: Bri on: November 7, 2011
Photo courtesy of Topinambour | Flickr
“Well, forgive me, but I don’t want to see your naked breast,” I was told in disgusted tones by a close friend in reference to nursing in public.
I can forgive this friend for her uninformed opinion, but I cannot forgive the society that produces such a negative attitude towards mothers. Here is the crux of my frustration. I am a new mother. I spent months and months leading up to the birth of my first child researching how to be a good mother to him. The subject I was most anxious about in all my study was breastfeeding.
I can give you an incredibly long list of websites and books that name the incredible and innumerable benefits of this natural method of feeding your infant. [To start with, here's what the Le Leche League and the World Health Organization have to say]. There’s no question in anyone’s mind that where infants are concerned, breastfeeding is the way to go. I was so anxious to get this right, to establish the breastfeeding bond, to do what was right by my little guy, that I spent hours studying it while I was working and going to school full time. — and, to toot my own horn, I did it! If there is anything I am doing right as a parent, it is the way I feed my little man and no one could argue with an almost 20 pound three month old. He is definitely benefiting in this regard.
Proof that breastfeeding works
So can someone please explain to me why societal attitudes insist that I should be ashamed of this? At best, I am looked at curiously while I cover my baby with a blanket, like some kind of circus performer — at worst, I am angrily banished to a dirty public restroom (because nursing facilities are, if anything, rare in public places) because what I am doing is disgusting to the majority of regular citizens. They “don’t want their children to see that” or worse, they are afraid that what I am doing will excite some kind of sexual response.
These attitudes frustrate me. Why is my choice to sustain life in the most natural of ways gross to most people?
Photo Courtesy of Nextors | Flickr
The WHO states that worldwide, less that 40% of mothers choose to breastfeed (and those few who do are banished to a box to do so). We now have a generation of adults who can not remember ever seeing a baby breastfeed. They’ve seen billboards of scantily-clad women, and after watching almost any pg-13 or R-rated movie they’ve heard or seen more innuendo than they have storyline, and they walk by women who put a great part of their bodies on display day after day with the motivation of being provocative … but a breastfeeding mother? Not so. That is unacceptable. It is this woman that they must hide away.
We are not flashing you to be provocative or to make some kind of point. We are sustaining life; we are creating joy; we are furthering civilization. But we are wrong somehow. What we do is socially abhorrent.
WHY?!
Yes, let’s hide this beautiful bond away cause it makes us uncomfortable.
Here are a few little known facts to those who do not breastfeed:
- Infants who are breastfed eat 8-12 times a day for 10-20 minutes at each meal. Do your math folks. That is every 1-3 hours all day long (and all night). That measures start of feeding to start of feeding, not end to start, so that means you could feed your baby and 40 minutes later, he’ll be hungry again. Take a look at my child. This is quite often the case. — Are you going to banish a mother to another room every time she must feed her baby simply because it makes you uncomfortable? Think of how uncomfortable and embarrassed she must be to have to leave the conversation so often, just to feed her baby.
- Most infants don’t want to eat under a blanket. Why don’t you go around trying to eat a bowl of soup under a blanket everywhere you go and see how you like it? They want to look at their mommies. They want to see what is going on around them.
- Beastfeeding is most often so discreet, sans blanket, that most people don’t even notice what you are doing. It only takes a second to latch a baby on and after that your shirt and baby cover most of what is going on.
- It is often more obvious what you are doing when you have to go through the whole blanket or nursing cover routine.
- 45 states have laws that specifically allow women to breastfeed in ANY public or private location and where there is no law, those women are protected from public indecency laws.
I wish you could see what I see. Then you would realize how truly beautiful this is.
Softshoe Me To Sleep
Posted by: Bri on: September 9, 2011
Parenting requires creativity. When the going gets rough, you gotta pull out whatever weapons you got in your arsenal. What do the Zabriskies do to put a fussy baby to sleep? … Good ole Fred Astaire.
Blessing Day
Posted by: Bri on: September 8, 2011
Last Sunday, Grant gave Bracken a name and a blessing. This is an ordinance in the LDS church, in which a priesthood bearer, in this case, Bracken’s father, gives a baby a new name (their name in this life) and blesses the infant with comfort, guidance, and encouragement at the beginning of his earthly journey. The ordinance is performed at the beginning of a regular church meeting (anyone, member or not, is invited to attend these meetings). The priesthood bearer, often the father of the child being blessed, stands in a circle with a few other priesthood bearers that he has invited to participate (which includes family, close friends, and a bishop) and they each hold the baby with one hand and close the circle with the other. Then the father gives the child a name and blesses the baby with whatever he feels inspired to.
Grant invited a handful of very special people to participate in Bracken’s blessing: Bracken’s grandfathers, Bracken’s great grandfathers, our bishop, and his lifetime friend, David Holladay. The words of the blessing were sweet and powerful. I do not want to share them here as they are sacred to me, but it was a very special moment. Grant got a little chocked up as he blessed our sweet little guy. Both grandfathers described to me Bracken’s reaction to the blessing afterward. They said he was very calm and alert and partway through the blessing his eyes locked on Grant’s face and after a while he looked away with a thoughtful expression as if musing over what his Father had blessed him with.
Many members of our extended family were able to join us in witnessing the blessing. It is a tradition in my mother’s family to attend each others’ baby blessings and baptisms and to get together afterwards. It was so special to have the family that was able to make it there.
I was reading an article by Susan Easton Black about this special ordinance and something she said struck me.
I have found it interesting that in the scriptures a new name is often involved when a covenant relationship is formed. When Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth (see Gen. 1:28), Adam was given the responsibility of naming the animals (see Gen. 2:19–20). Likewise, in receiving Eve as his wife, Adam named her. (See Gen. 3:20.) God himself, after creating bodies for our first parents, “blessed them, and called their name Adam.” (Gen. 5:2.) Later, when Jehovah entered into a covenant relationship with Abram, he changed Abram’s name to Abraham. (See Gen. 17:5.) The Lord did the same thing with Jacob when He extended to Jacob the same covenant He had made with Abraham. (See Gen. 35:10.) We follow a similar pattern when entering into covenants with Christ in the waters of baptism. At that time, we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and that becomes the name by which we are called. (See Mosiah 5:7–12.) The higher covenants of the temple also involve the giving and receiving of names. In each of these cases, the one giving the name assumes responsibility for protecting, loving, and nurturing the one receiving the new name. And the recipient of the name, in turn, is to honor the name-giver and follow his counsel.
I italicized this last point she makes. In the case of Bracken’s blessing, Grant, and by extension myself, gave Bracken his new name and so we assume responsibility for protecting, loving and nurturing him. Given the incredibly sweet spirit I can feel from my little guy, this is a great responsibility. I felt the weight of this responsibility settle onto my shoulders as he was put back into my arms after being blessed. He already has and will continue to bring our family much joy.
Funny how it was his blessing day, and I felt so blessed.
Post Post Script: The cute blessing outfit and shoes were made by my mother, Misti Atkinson, and the gorgeous blessing blanket was crocheted by my sister, KristiAnne Atkinson. They are very talented ladies.
Any Questions?
Posted by: Bri on: September 6, 2011
This is your brain:
This is your brain on breastmilk:
Getting to Know You
Posted by: Bri on: September 3, 2011
There… Now you’ve got that lovely song stuck in your head as well. 
Grant and I have noticed three dominant traits in our little guy’s personality thus far: curiosity, determination, and hunger.
The first makes sense. He’s new to this world so naturally he’s anxious to see and learn all he can about it. His curiosity was evident from just a few moments after his birth when they placed him tummy to tummy on my chest, and he lifted his head to try to look around. He’s been gaining more and more control over this part if his body ever since in order to turn and look at whatever he likes, whether he’s lying on his tummy or sitting up on someone’s lap. (yes, we do still cautiously support his head and neck).
His quick development of this skill is also evidence of this kid’s determined spirit. His Grammy and his daddy noticed at just two and a half weeks that if they put him on his tummy and put pressure against the soles of his feet, he would push himself forward, one leg at a time in a sort of army crawl (minus any coordinated arm movement) all the while grunting like a constipated old man. Daddy loves to play this game with him when he gets home from work each day. Bracken’s expression and sounds during these games are so focused and determined-looking.
The last trait, hunger, is a given I suppose but Bracko takes eating to a new level. He often eats frantically as though he thinks he will not have enough time to take in his fill. He is a terribly messy eater so when he pulls off he has a darling milk mustache. And though his cute little smile is not social yet and thus cannot be provoked by play or our own smiles, several times when he has been laid on my lap for mealtime, that smile has appeared as if in anticipation of the breast-milk coma he is about induce.
We look forward to getting to know him more and more. Thus far, he is an extremely cheerful little guy, and we are grateful.
All We Needed was a Move
Posted by: Bri on: September 2, 2011
We met with a financial counselor yesterday to figure out the best plan for our financial future. We walked in with our new baby to talk about our new job and he commented on the fact that we had two major life changes all at once. I told him he didn’t know the half of it. In the last few weeks, Grant and I have had a baby, a graduation, a wedding (Grant’s sister Hannah), a vacation, a new job, and our three-year wedding anniversary! The man laughed and said, “Did you move too?!” Thankfully we are still living in the same familiar and comfortable place, but we did have the carpets replaced! 
I think we Zabriskies must like to get all those major life changes out of the way at once. For example, when I married Grant, we moved (my first time moving away from home), started new jobs, became independent of our parents, and started classes at the Y all within about a month … Oh yes, and embarked on the journey of blissful newlyweddedness at the ages of 20 and 22. I don’t know if smashing all the life changes into a tight period of time is necessarily the best way to go about things, but it certainly makes one feel extraordinarily blessed and a tad bit crazy.
Anyways, now Grant is cheerfully employed full time as a Web Designer for the Harold B. Lee Library, Bracken is five weeks old, Grant has graduated from BYU with his bachelors, we had a wonderful trip up to Washington state to see Hannah sealed to her best friend and sweetheart Ken (Hannah made every second of the car ride up with a fussy newborn worth it with how incredibly happy and beautiful she looked that day), and we celebrated three wonderful years since our own wedding day.
Here again is a conglomeration of pictures in no particular order of these events:
5 weeks ago today
Posted by: Bri on: September 1, 2011
Well maybe now that I can blog from my phone, I’ll feel more inspired to update. Microblogging is just so much easier.
Five weeks ago, as those who follow me elsewhere will know, we added another member to our family. Mr. Bracken Dale Zabriskie was born 7 lbs 15 oz (a weight he had added generously to in the time since then) and 21 inches long with a shock of long blonde hair that delights everyone who sees it. We’ve spent the last month getting to know our cheerful little guy. He has been endowed with several endearing nicknames, among them are: Brack, Brackie, Lil Bracko, Mr. Man, Darling, and Little Boy Blue.
Some favorite expressions of his enthusiastic and loving aunts and uncles are “What’s crackin’ Bracken” and “Release the Bracken” (see Pirates of the Carribbean).
Here are some favorite photos of our expressive little guy (not in order of when they were taken. Sorry, that’s too much work) …
More to come on the labor story and our summer happenings.
Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad
Posted by: Bri on: July 18, 2011
”Pure love is an incomparable, potent power for good. Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage. It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children.” Richard G. Scott
Dearest Mom and Dad,
Happy Wedding Anniversary!
I owe a lot to the pure love and commitment that you have worked so hard to show each other throughout your marriage. I think it is the secret to your success as parents. You both have sacrificed so many other pursuits in your commitment to each other and to family, and I am so grateful. Thank you for dedicating your time, your home, and your hearts to one another and for all the ways that marital bond blessed me and all my siblings as children.
Thank you for the thoughtful gifts you gave to each other, the importance you placed on time spent alone with each other, and the ooey-goeey secret looks at each other that I was sometimes privileged to espy… You showed me what it means to cherish each other.
Thank you dad for mowing the lawns, completing outdoor projects, building whatever mama needed, going to work every day, taking us kids on outings and letting mom have personal time, organizing us children in endeavors to help our mother, and so much more. Thank you mom for making our house a home, teaching your children with such dedication and persistence, for shopping, making meals, cleaning, making special meals just for dad, supporting dad in everything he chose to do, and so much more. …. You showed me what it means to serve each other.
Thank you dad for saying the icky romantic stuff in front of us, especially when you praised our mother and made her smile. You showed me what it means to romance the heart.
Thank you mom for teaching us to listen to our father and obey him and reminding us what a wise and cool dad he really is by speaking fondly of him. You showed me what it means to respect.
Thank you both for all your efforts to raise us, protect us, teach us the gospel, fill our home with the spirit, and shape us into kind, thoughtful individuals. For every family home evening, for every family day out, for our Saturday chores, for our family projects, for our vacations and road trips, for singing together, for every holiday and workday, thank you for showing me what teamwork and family mean.
Thank you for showing me what a happy marriage was so I could recognize and aim for it myself. Thank you for your example. Thank you for putting in the work and unselfishness that marriage takes.
I hope today you will take the opportunity to remember every reason you fell in love and every reason you’ve stayed in love.
Happy Anniversary!
I love you both and I love who you are together.
True love deserves to be celebrated …
and just look at the fruits it produces …
Here’s to Good Teachers
Posted by: Bri on: June 24, 2011
- In: Crayonbox
- 5 Comments
I just finished looking at posted grades for Spring semester, and I am sorry to say that despite my best efforts to skip classes and assignments and put forth as little effort as possible, I was still not able to lower myself to a C-average. My husband claims that I just didn’t try hard enough or give myself enough breaks. Honestly though, I really do feel like I put forth my worst effort while still having a reasonable feeling of responsibility to each class. I didn’t even do the reading or assignments for two whole weeks in each of my classes, and the semester was only eight weeks long! Still, I am sincerely sad to say that I didn’t manage to get below a 3.5. I don’t know how people do it. I honestly don’t say it to brag. I’m very disappointed in myself. I thought I would do much worse what with pregnancy fatigue and baby preparation. Maybe I need to let loose a little, but I think I know the true source of my failure:
I blame good teachers.
If they would just care a tad less about their students and not push us so hard and mold us for the future. I just can’t understand it. We go in expecting to be bored to tears, write a few essays, and leave with nothing but a letter grade to show, and instead they inspire, uplift, and motivate us to reach beyond the four walls of the classroom and apply our education in innovative ways. I suppose it is my fault for going to BYU. My professors here have been unacceptably exceptional. I just don’t know what to do with myself.
Photo by Oberazzi
For example, I just received an email from a professor who I have taken a number of courses with here praising my work during the semester that ended a week and a half ago and encouraging me in my future. I include a paragraph from the end of the email here:
As you enter the greatest phase of your life, parenting, you go well prepared with a fine education and great habits to sustain you and ultimately to give shape to the minds and souls of your children. I hope to keep up with you as you continue to consume, create, and connect. Thanks for re-upping for another term with me. I only wish I had more students with your ability and maturity. Take care and good luck! – Dr. Burton
Now, I ask you, how are students to go on being apathetic drones, mindless of the future and unenthusiastic about their education, with such personal, attentive, and caring teachers? The thing is, I am absolutely positive that every single student in this professor’s class received the same personal attention and praise throughout the semester and in a concluding evaluation email. It’s not special treatment. Teachers like this just care!
CC licensed image
Then there’s that fifth grade teacher that forever rid me of my ability to half-complete an assignment. Here I was, a happy little fourth grader, content with my C-average, and she spent the entire year building up my confidence in my abilities and forcing me to re-do assignments until she was sure I had done my very best. I remember one instance in particular where I was to stay after school for an hour making sure my math homework problems were readable, that the numbers lined up, and that each problem had the correct solution. Where did such enthusiasm for helping people help themselves come from? If I could remember her name, I’d write her a letter of complaint or nominate her for a Best Teacher in the Nation award or something.
So, the truth is I just cannot take the fall for such good grades. It’s not my fault, really. I did put forth a concerted effort to do poorly, but I was too easily inspired by the enthusiasm and care of good professors. Perhaps I was weak to give in to their encouragement and passion for learning. Maybe I should opt for distance learning …
[note: if you cannot read the sarcasm with which this post is dripping, please do not comment and berate me for my ingratitude. I am sincerely grateful for good teachers which is, in fact, the point of my little exercise. Sheesh]
…..
Oh no, my professors have done such an excellent job that I am now wondering if I should be double checking this post for grammatical errors. Nope … I’ve got baby clothes to fold. See! I can rebel!
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