Response to Mom's Breastfeeding Comment

I don't expose my whole breast for Anders to latch on. I've become quite a pro at being discreet with just a shirt. If people have a problem with something that is so obviously natural, then they shouldn't look. It's fairly obvious when a mother is preparing to nurse. You needn't stare until you do manage to spot some minute piece of exposed skin and then go ballistic over it. Most women (yes, even at church) show more breast with their low-cut dresses than I ever do nursing my child. I am his source of nourishment. I'm not going to compromise that because someone else chooses to pick a fight over it. And if Ari is anything like my boys, he won't take a bottle. I tried with Soren and with Anders, when they were two weeks old, to get them to take a bottle. They both refused. I've got fire-crackers for kids...they're very opinionated at young ages. :) I can't believe that those people struggling with pornography addictions are looking up nursing sites and breastfeeding pictures to get their kicks. A child suckling on a breast is anything but sexy...believe me. :) I think that the people who are uncomfortable with a woman nursing her child in public, are people who cling to old traditions and come from closed-minded families. I'm not saying I'm as comfortable as, say, a Latina woman who might fully expose herself to nurse her child, but I still have a right to nurse my child where ever and whenever I like. And, fortunately, I have the law behind me on this one! Mom, gone are the days when women nurse their children in a bathroom stall while sitting on the toilet lid. I'm glad you made it through that and I'm sad that you even had to, but it's such a relief to know that nursing mothers' rights are protected now days, and more and more places are providing clean, comfortable mother's rooms for nursing. If Sara's ward members really take issue with her breastfeeding during meetings, then they need to provide her (and other mothers who might wish to nurse) with a clean, private room where she can breastfeed her child and still participate in (listen to) worship services. All new church buildings constructed now have beautiful mother's rooms. Maybe they need to look into renovating the old buildings! Well, Mom, look what you've created. I've inherited the "soap box" gene. :) Now you get to live with it.

Joseph

Oh, hey, Elizabeth- you'll have to change the time for Joseph now- lucky dog. He gets to go to warm Florida. I'm going to visit him sometime. Also, congrats to the newlywed! I typed that newleyweed at first. haha. Can't wait to meet Bonnie...I'm sad they aren't coming back to Oregon. I was looking forward to a summer of fun with Joseph and his new bride. Ah well, sometime we'll all be together- in the spirit world! Let's see...mom and dad in Guatemala, Daniel in Bagdad, Elizabeth and Dan in San Diego, us in Oregon, Joseph in Florida. Whew. We are a spread out family. I'm so glad for this blog, and googletalk, and emails. It's great to stay in touch. Loves...

Johnny on the spot

Okay, the title of this blog is paying homage to all the potty talk going on here...haha. Also, I was impressed that Daniel offered to send Dan pictures of weeds- that's a pretty big deal. Congrats Dan!! So I'm sitting here, eating cereal, watching my 3 little ones sleeping- the cat and the baby on one side of the bed, the dog on the other. I love them all so much. And of course, Jarem too. Isn't life great?
So this morning I had a hard time at church. Huh. I love this ward, but I was pretty shocked when some people (old men, I bet) complained about my breastfeeding. See, our ward house is so small, there are no extra rooms, and only two bathrooms, one on each side of the building. One bathroom has an old, creaky rocking chair- filthy too. When I try to nurse in there, Ari has a hard time. He pops off when people pound on the door (needing to go pee probably!), when the rocking chair creaks, when he gets too cold- and it's freezing in there. Gee, look at all the p words in that last sentence. pops, people, pound, pee, probably. Anyway, the biggest problem with the bathroom is there is no piped in sound, so what's the point of going to church if I'm going to be sitting in a bathroom staring at the wall for 3 out of 4 hours? Might as well sit at home for all the spiritual stuff I'll get in the church bano. So I stay in class and sacrament meeting and nurse Ari. No blanket, he won't do that- he throws a fit. And of course, even though I've nursed him all over town- the only people who have a problem with it are at church. Ah, why would I be surprised though? Mormons. I mean, the tiny triangle of skin visible is surely WAY offensive. After the relief society president was sent to talk to me, I cried. Jarem was so sweet, he just hugged me and told me they were being stupid and that he supported me. I called Elizabeth tonight, and after talking to her I feel a lot better too. She offered to stage a breastfeeding sit-in with me. Come on up! That'd be awesome. She is smart about it, and confident. Her sons also don't like blankets over them. Maybe it's an Ogden thing. Or a smart kid thing. :) Would we like to be suffocated while we ate?! Jarem's number one point- this is the way God designed it, and why should we make a big fuss over it? He also said, "sinners are welcome, but not breastfeeding mothers?" Well, I'm glad Elizabeth and Jarem are kind and supportive. It helps. I asked Jarem if I was having a Thomas Marsh moment. He said no, only if we don't go back to church because of it. And that WOULD be a tragedy. So I will continue in my relationship with Christ, and let others go inactive if they are offended by a baby eating. How silly is that?! Honestly, the relief society president agrees with us too. She thought it was strange they objected about breastfeeding. I wish there were more women in charge in the church- this wouldn't happen. Do members purposefully try to push people away? Also, I wish other women breastfed their babies, so that I wouldn't have to pave the way all by myself. None of the women who recently had kids breastfeed exclusively. Most of them do only formula, one other lady does half and half. I'm the only mom whose kid depends entirely on me for his food. Ah, why am I complaining? Wasn't I itching for a fight just the other day in my email? Yeah, I'm going to call the ACLU, and get some lawsuits going, and request another group of 500 mothers to breastfeed in our church! Woohoo!

THANKS!

I really appreciate all of the kind words of congratulations. To be honest, I could not have done it without the support of my beautiful wife. She never ceases to amaze me. I also appreciate the support that all of you have given me over the years. I am truly blessed to have married into such a great family. To Granny and Grandpa, the boys are very excited for your return to the states. Liz and I are also very excited for that day. We look forward to the time when all of the DKO family can get together again.

Way to go Dan!

I send my CONGRATS to you too Dan! You're a good example to me. Sorry, I can't take any pictures of flowers over here. We have lots of weeds though. :)

What a funny family I have. This blog thing is cool. My toilets are cleaned by little Indian men (men from India). They are also about 30 yards from my room, so I don't have to worry about the urine smell. I get up at least twice every night. I have SBS (Small Bladder Syndrome). :)

Lizzie, can you put my clock one more hour ahead? I am 10 hours ahead of you. Sank you very much.

bouquet to you

To celebrate Elizabeth and Dan's happy day I am sending them a bouquet of Guatemalan flowers. Mom/Marcia

Yes, I took the pictures myself. Daniel can testify I did; he was there. Sorry, the peach flower is a bit old, but gives you the idea of its glory days.

¡FELICITACIONES DAN!

We just want you to know how proud we are of you, Dan, you, too, Elizabeth. You have accomplished something truly admirable in graduating from one of the top law schools in the nation while at the same time welcoming little people into your home. It takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice to do what you have just done. We admire your persistence and your faithfulness.

You two deserve the blessings you are enjoying and even many more. We love you and shall feat you upon our return. Hugs and squeezes to the little men.

Love Mom/Marcia/Dad/Kelly

Johnny hints

I made a discovery here about keeping your toilets clean. I had always been disappointed that my toilets at home didn't smell that good in spite of cleaning them. I discovered why, here.

This toilet we have is quiet. We can flush it at night without waking each other up. Perhaps this is not a problem for the rest of you since you are young and don't get up at night to piddle. It will become a problem I guarantee, unless you read The China Study and start eating correctly. I'm distracted.

We never flushed the toilet back home at night because it sounded like a 747 taking off and woke up everyone including guests. The secret to good smelling toilets is to flush them at night, too. Don't ever leave urine in the toilets. The odor must seep into the hinges and seats.

Also, I take 30 seconds every morning to swish out the bowl with the brush and some cleanser. I wipe down the rim and seat with a disinfectant. It works, no more smelly toilets. Shirley Hone pours clorox all over her toilets once a week if you want to try that. Mom

Elizabeth,
Call Sara and tell her to check her email. I left info for helping her get a doctor's appointment for Joseph. Thanks. Mom
Am I supposed to use this blog like this?

Ari's first mail

Ari received his first mail today! He got his social security card. That was kind of fun for us. He's a real person now! He's been doing great and we are so happy with him. I can't believe how exciting it is to have kids.
I read a great article in TIME today. It said that all these toys that market towards making kids smarter are probably a waste of money compared to personal time with mommy and daddy. The idea of the baby Einstein and baby genius all sprang up after a vague and non confirmed report that children's brains grow most in the first three years. Hillary Clinton got on board with that to get more money for child development programs and as it became politically popular to push for the child's first three years it became a big business boom to make toys that suggest the ability to make your children smarter. The article said that personal time will do more to help a child develop important things than any toys or videos can. Interesting. And people think it's not a contribution to society to stay home with your children. Well, we'll see what they say when their kid robs me in 18 years.

Shooting From the Hip

Today was our last Sunday in the Orem College 4th Ward. We'll be attending the family ward for our area starting next Sunday since Dan is graduating and we've been in student wards for over four years! In sacrament meeting today the two assigned speakers finished with a half hour left in the meeting. I think Bishop Chesney had planned on having time to address us, but I don't think he planned on having that much time. He decided to solicit a little help to fill the time and he called on Dan to come up and answer a question. "Shooting from the hip," Bishop called it. I was a little nervous for Dan, probably because I would be petrified to have to answer a question I'd had no time to ponder before-hand, but as usual, he was a natural! Bishop Chesney asked Dan to tell everyone how his law school education had affected his understanding of the Savior's atonement for us. That's a loaded question! Dan, however, readily answered that throughout his schooling they had gone over case after case where justice was served. Inevitably, someone walked away from a court decision disappointed. Thanks to the Savior's atonement, however, while justice will be executed, so will mercy be present at the final judgement. Dan said that while our laws on this earth are imperfect, the Savior has offered us a way to become perfected through Him. I was very impressed with Dan's on-the-spot answer. Of course, he was much more eloquent than I have been in the retelling, but the message is still there. I love my husband! He is deep, insightful, spiritual, intellectually stimulating, and so much fun to be around!

Behold...

Should I try out for the NFL next? :)

Mawage...is what bwings us togethaa today.

You know Lizzie, if I stay here much longer my future wife may be Fatimah Ogden. :)

So a few months ago I got on 1-800-diapers.com and tried to order a ton of diapers for the Iraqi mothers here. They sent me an email and said that they couldn't ship to an APO address. However, that didn't stop them from using my address for something else. They started sending me (for free) the "Parenting" magazine. Now I have three of them to read. Is this a divine sign? :)

Hey, if I get bored enough I might pick one up and see what I can learn.

Funny people.

Another one...

Hey, I just thought of something. When Joseph gets married, we'll have another Bonnie Ogden in the family! Dad, does Bonnie go by Bonnie Ogden again or is she still using Romero? Daniel, maybe you'll marry an Audrie, Brenda, or Danette. :)

Back in Baghdad

This site rocks! Well I'm back here at my lovely desk in Baghdad. Will I ever leave? :) I think I'll get my Iraqi citizenship in a year or two.

Mom/Dad, thanks for a great time in Guatemala. I really enjoyed being there with you two.

Lizzie, you and Dan are awesome! Thanks for letting us raid your house every now and then.

Sara, I will see you one of these days/months/years. Say hello to the little man for me, and to Ari too. :) Hehe, just kidding.

Joseph, it was fun playing b-ball with you and hanging out a little. We'll do it again. Good luck with the wedding, work, and everything else.

Wedding

So, Josey says he's getting married here in Utah on May 7th. I guess I'll represent the family. :) Though it would serve him right if no one showed up since he didn't come to any of our weddings! :) Just kidding, I wouldn't do that. Besides, I'd better get pictures for all of you folk who can't make it. We love you, Josey!

Yeah, how is that shoulder? Gosh, Lizzie, are we the only ones on this alternative universe? Haha. Ari is about to have a hissy fit if he doesn't get a boob RIGHT NOW...so this'll be short...go friendly competition! Can't wait to start...did you get judy my address? loves

Competition

So, the Frye family and the Agle family have been discussing the possibility of a friendly (yet motivating) competition to get healthy and keep in shape. Would anyone else like to join? Jarem's got some great ideas for how to keep track of who's winning. I've not been so good at exercising in the last week and a half, but I am still losing weight! :)

Daniel! How was your travelling? How's your shoulder? Maybe you should tell us all what the doctor said. All I remember hearing at Judy's house was when Judy read the medical jargon that no one understood, so I really don't know what's going on with that. I don't think Mom was too happy that I didn't have a full report to relay. :)

Oh, speaking of Judy, I'd better go forward those emails to her. :) Ta ta.

Instructions for Blog Use for Mom and Dad

I thought this might make it easier for you guys to use this blog. It's really easy. You can scroll down to see old blogs or look to the right to see Archives. You can click on anything there that you want to look at and it will take you to it. If you want to comment on an existing post, click on the comment link at the bottom of the post and follow the instructions. If you want to post a new post, click on the New Post link in the top right-hand corner of the page by the Sign Out link. If you want to look at any other blogs like Daniel's blog or The Agle Family blog, just click on the link to the right under "Other Sites of Interest." Once you're at the next blog you want to view, you can comment on posts there, too (the same way). :) It's super easy! Oh, and if you want to add pictures to your posts on The Ogden Family blog, just click the little picture icon along the top of your compose screen (where you're posting your new post). If you're going to add multiple pictures, add them all first and then insert your text by placing the curser where you want it inbetween pictures. :) Simple and fun! Love you guys!

I am Mom

So, I was just writing in my personal journal when I realized that how I was describing myself in a certain situation was exactly how I would describe Mom. It was pretty crazy! Dan and I teach gospel doctrine. Well, today was our last time. But I was just thinking about how this morning everything was so wrong and bad. I was negative and depressed. I was even giving myself a headache, I think. All because I get so nervous and anxious to teach in front of people. It always seems to go well. Especially since Dan and I team teach and he's an awesome teacher! But no matter how well it goes the previous time, I still get nervous and negative, etc. Satan really knows how to work my weaknesses. I've never had this problem before! I used to love teaching and getting up in front of people. Now I just want to be left alone to worship in the background. I want to be excited to go to church, not dragging my feet. Anyway, I'm working on it. Dan says we're going to get called to teach again in our new family ward since I'm discovering that I still have a lot to learn from the calling. :) If we do, I hope I can rise to the challenge!

Humdy Dum

Hmmmm...great site. Where is everybody??!! Thanks for posting Sara! Do you guys have Josey's contact information? A phone number? Anything? I think Mom and Dad need a little more encouragement to get on here and get participating. Once we all dive in, there'll be no stopping us and we'll have a great time with this blog. At any rate...if any of you want any peace from me, you'd better just quietly comply. :)

Great update, Mom! I'm glad that you guys had a good time with Daniel in Guatemala. Maybe if you had been able to hike the volcano, something bad would have happened. You'll never know, but better to be happy and alive, right?! :)

Okay, gotta go read and go to bed. Mom and Dad (and everyone else, too), look for a video (no sound though) coming soon on The Agle Family blog. You'll be able to see Anders rolling. :) Love you all!

Kukoo

National Geographic Spelling Bee...yeah, I would crash and burn. cochoo? ie crazy people. kukoo. huh. So Elizabeth just started this great blog for the great Ogden family, and since I'm talking to her right now on googletalk I figure I'd better contribute. Points for me! Whoowho. Ah, that was a good movie- IQ. Did anyone else think GC was boring this time around- or was it just me? I was unimpressed with all the tabernacle history and building specs. I know why they say old people seem out of touch with the modern world. Look at what we're struggling with now, and tell me why it was so important for a 19 year old in Africa, or a 45 year old in Bolivia, to know that the tabernacle's seats have no leg room, or the front beam weighs so-and-so...anyway, enough on the soap box. Go Cheney! :)

Welcome, Welcome Everybody! (Name that movie)

Hey all! Welcome to our very own blog! Woo-hoo, and we've entered the 21st Century. Don't worry, Mom and Dad, blogging is EXTREMELY easy to do. I'm really excited about this, if you can't tell. I've been going full steam since we created The Agle Family blog. Now I've decided to do one for Soren and one for Anders with journaling that I can turn over to them when they get married. Imagine that, Dad, you give us your published journals when we get married, and I'll give my kids their own blogs. I can't imagine what the Internet will be like in 20 years. Crazy! Anyway, now we have an Ogden Family blog and we are all (or will be) authors so we can all post updates and pictures and put in new links or whatever we want really. We can even put video clips on here if I can only figure out how to do it. :) This blog is also password protected so that only me, Dan, Sara, Jarem, Daniel, Joseph, Mom, and Dad can view it. You are the only ones invited. So let's keep in touch! I hope you all use this site and end up loving it as much as I do. It's really so much fun. I can't keep away from the computer now, much to Dan's chagrine. :) Well, we love you all!