Friday, October 23, 2015

I was really noticing my bra feeling a bit tight. I wanted to believe it's because my breasts are getting bigger, but after only two weeks on the new hormone regimen I have to wonder if it isn't wishful thinking. Still, when I'm in my Robot Mother Breast Pumping Bra it seemed to be a bit tighter too. Nothing going into the bottles, but still…

I finally got the nerve to tell Darcy about the breast pumping. She saw the machine and her look invited an answer. She was kind enough not to laugh, but she had an awfully big smile on her face. She highly approves of breastfeeding infants, and was impressed that I would be willing to try to do it myself.

It was only a short step from there to let Dawn have her way with my nipples before I fed her while Darcy was there with us. Granted I felt pretty silly removing my form and placing it on a towel while she watched, but we have gotten close enough that it didn't really bother me.

Of course, Darcy was fascinated by the breast form, they're the best I could find and pretty realistic. If I want to take the trouble, I can glue them on and use filler and makeup to wear something with a low neckline. I haven't done that since Dawn came along and I doubt I will again as I grow my own and can show some cleavage without technological help.

They are getting bigger, really.

I've been letting Dawn take her turn at me before giving her the bottle, and she's doing a fine job imitating my pumping machine. She doesn't last all that long with no reward forthcoming, but it sure feels good to have her trying to nurse.

I've gotten a few nursing bras, hoping I'm not living in a dream world. It feels silly to have to remove my breast form before Dawn can reach my nipple, but it is certainly easier than removing my bra each time I try to feed her. I have to say I get a real kick out of wearing a nursing bra, almost as big a kick as I got when I first started wearing bras.

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that provide the most pleasure.
 

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Damn, tonight was a blast! Of course after a month as Hope full time, the boys knew who would be hosting our poker night, but only Daryl had seen me as Hope before. I went all out feminine just to knock their socks off, and maybe distract them enough to win back some of the money they've relieved me of over the years. Nobody's going to invite me to one of those high-stakes tournaments in Las Vegas, but I enjoy the game.

I was wishing I could do the glue-on cleavage to really distract them, but Dawn came first and I wasn't going to deprive her (or me!) of mommy time. I now have no doubt that my own breasts are getting bigger, I'm going to have to find some smaller forms or get larger bras tomorrow, things are getting tight!

I finally had an excuse to wear the pale lavender cocktail dress I had bought on a whim last year but had never worn. I wore Grandma's diamond earrings and necklace, along with the diamond watch my mother had given me last Christmas. That was pretty special as it was the first time she had given me something for Hope to wear. Mom took a while to understand why I couldn't remain John-Paul, but she is trying her best to make her new daughter as much a part of her life as her son was.

With dramatic evening makeup (the poker room is traditionally dimly lighted) and a pair of modest heels, I was ready. Ruben finally gave up smoking a couple of years ago so the room is not traditionally smoky any more. No way I would want that dress to smell of tobacco, dammit!

Darcy and I had been traipsing around the thrift shops all week looking for something for her to wear. If I was going to be in a cocktail dress, then she had to have one too. Not that we confined ourselves to the cocktail dresses, we had to try on quite a few outfits. As the day progressed we got giddy; we had a contest to see who could find the most awful outfit on the racks. Darcy won with some godawful racing silks in purple and green with a pair of screaming yellow jodhpurs. I had to password protect that picture on my phone for fear she would erase it.

Since Darcy comes by her endowment naturally, we had no trouble finding a lovely, low cut blue number with a flared skirt that swirled and bounced very attractively. The boys were well and truly distracted tonight.

I should also note that second-hand shops are the best place to find baby clothes. When they're that small they outgrow them too fast to wear them out. Dawn wasn't left out of the new clothes bonanza.

One other incident that night needs to be recorded. Calvin has his own secret life as a folksinger, a vice I am partial to myself. We have gone to many concerts together over the years and have much the same taste in music. There is an old folksong called The Ten Dollar Bill in which a serving maid delivers a 'handsome baby child' to a patron who had bedded her the year before. The punch line is "A ten dollar bill you've handed me, so now take back your change." I arranged for Darcy to plunk Dawn in his lap the first time the pot reached ten dollars and hit him with the line.

Calvin is quick on the uptake so he got the joke immediately and we both broke up with laughter, then had to explain to the others why it was funny. Calvin was forced to sing the song when we took a snack break.

And I came out ahead by $7.63.
 

Sunday October 25, 2015 7:13 AM

I woke up and stretched, feeling more awake that I had in the last month. Suddenly panic set in: Dawn had not awakened me for that dreaded four o'clock feeding! Hastily shrugging into my robe I practically ran to to her bedroom, but was stopped by the smell of something baking in the kitchen.

My kitchen.

Then I remembered Darcy had decided to spend the night after the poker game broke up. The angel must have taken the feeding and let me sleep! I was going to have to grovel and kiss her toes to thank her.

And there she was, apron over her nightgown, taking what looked to be a pan of cinnamon rolls from the oven while Dawn watched wide-eyed.

"Good god!" I cried. "Where do your get the energy from?"

"Clean living and a pure heart?"

"No chance the way you led Clyde around by the nose last night. You're vixen material."

"Now that was fun. He does have a certain attraction."

"He's a decade older than you!"

"So are you. You don't have any claims on him, do you?"

"Honey, he grew up with John-Paul. Not very likely, is it?"

"You never can tell."

"No sparks there, Darcy. Go ahead and see if he's interested, but be careful."

"I will. I gave him my phone number."

"Well I'll be damned!"

"Probably will, if you listen to some of those weirdos who hate anyone who isn't like them."

"Now that doesn't bother me in the least. I'm used to them."

"I'd find that hard to do."

"I'd say something like 'grow a thick skin' but that wouldn't do for someone as pretty as you. Don't sell yourself short, Darcy. When I was your age I dreamed of looking as good as you do. That was an impossible dream for a geeky boy, but I managed to come close."

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure. Thank you so much for getting up with Dawn, you didn't have to."

"I was awake anyway, so I thought you could use the sleep."

"Dreaming about Clyde?"

"Maybe a little bit, but thinking how nice it would be to have friends like your poker buddies. Wondering what to do about school, wondering if I'll ever get a place of my own, wondering if I'll ever get a real job. That sort of stuff."

"Pretty heavy wondering. No wonder you were awake. You seem to be catching on to photography pretty quickly. Are you interested enough to think of it as a career?"

"Maybe, I like being around all the different people and watching you set up a shot and get everything just right is fascinating. I learned Photoshop Elements in school when I was learning computers and web development, but the big program is a bit daunting."

"I learned slowly and painfully. It can do amazing things, but I only use a few of the tools it has available. Maybe 80% of what I do is portraiture, so I don't need much more that sharpening up the color or contrast to make the image pop."

"I've done a little fooling around to create images for advertising in school, but I'm still an amateur there. I intend to keep learning, though. I really liked the course on web development."

"Web development, eh? You should take a look at my website sometime, it's pretty basic but I never had the time or money to do much with it."

"Sure, I can do that. I do like learning from you and being able to care for Dawn. I know it won't last forever, but right now I like it."

"And I like having you here. If you're interested enough to become my apprentice as well as Dawn's nanny, would you consider moving in and staying here full time?"

"Really? Could I?"

"You could. We can work out pay and obviously room and board is included. I think we have gotten to be good friends since you've been helping, and I just realized I'm comfortable with you being here in the morning before I put myself together."

"You do look a bit flat, now that you mention it."

"You've seen the forms I use, but that's changing. I am vain enough to want to keep the C cup though, so I'm going to go on line today and get a smaller set of forms so I still fit my bras."

"They look right on you, but there are days I envy you being able to take them off and put them in your drawer or whatever."

"They come with special cases to keep them in shape. You aren't the first one to warn me. One of my sisters in my support group went overboard with the breasts and regrets it. Calls it a learning experience in a rueful tone."

"Too bad they can't fit some sort of valve on them so you can inflate or deflate like a football. Be a lot more flexible."

"You have a warped mind, girl, but I like the ideas you come up with. Maybe you should go into bioengineering in school. Speaking of learning, no matter what you intend to do with your life, you do need to get at least a two-year degree if you hope to stop flipping burgers or waitressing."

"I know, but most of the two year programs are focused on some skill and I don't know what I want to do. If I'm going to go into debt I want to have something to show for it that I'm going to like doing."

"Well said, Darcy. I knew from about the sixth grade I wanted to be a photographer, so I knew what I had to do. Maybe you should start with a liberal arts program and do those two years of general learning to give yourself time to pick a major. Community colleges are great for that. If you're accepted you can drop the burger-flipping and just be my nanny and assistant. I think I can take on enough new business with your help to keep us both paid."

"Really?"

"Really. Talk it over with your folks, or maybe invite them over for dinner and we can all talk. As long as they keep you on their medical insurance it should work out. I'm still on my parents insurance, but I'm going to have to get my own pretty soon when I age out."

"Now that sounds funny - aging out at your age!"

"I'm not ready for a walker yet, but I suppose a baby carriage will do if I need the extra support any time soon."

"My brother's a Boy Scout. I could give him a call if you need help getting across the road."

"No need. I was a Scout before I joined the winning team."

"I keep forgetting."

"Which is the nicest thing you've ever told me. Being a mother helps me forget, too."

"I'll call you when I get home and talk with my folks. Your schedule is free after five tomorrow, so maybe we can get together with my Mom and Dad to talk."

"Sounds good to me. See you then, Darcy."
 

Monday, October 26, 2015

I have a new housemate. Darcy's folks are as nice as you please and they were quite willing to see their daughter as my apprentice. Not a word used much these days, but it fits nicely. Actually, I think they were thrilled that Darcy had found a passion in her life and was thinking about going back to school.

Not to be crass, but if Darcy takes the odd four o'clock feeding I'll be a happy camper.
 

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Another day, another head shrunk. That's my life, I guess.

"You're alone today, Hope?"

"That doesn't happen too much these days, Emma. Things have changed since we last talked and I have a live-in housemate / babysitter / apprentice."

"My, my! You're acquiring quite the entourage, it seems. From the smile on your face I think you're handling your new circumstances very well."

"Having Darcy to help has made me realize I almost took on too much when I took Dawn. I don't know how single mothers do it!"

"With difficulty, yet they do it. And how has being a mother changed your life?"

"Right to the big questions, eh? On the good side, I finally stopped worrying and procrastinating about going full time and now that I've done it I have to wonder just why I put it off so long. I've known it was the right thing to do for forever, but just couldn't make myself get over that hump."

"Not unusual, Hope. I was hoping you would finally jump over that hump, as you put it. So that's one positive thing, there must be others."

"Dawn, of course. Even grumpy in the middle of the night she's beautiful. When she's happy in the daytime I can't tell you how much she has improved my life!"

"That's two. What else?"

"My boobs are getting bigger. I just got a smaller pair of falsies so I wasn't overcrowding my bra."

"You look awfully smug when you say that."

"I am smug. I've been dreaming about having breasts since I was old enough to know what breasts were. With any luck they might even be functional soon. I'm not sure how to describe it, but they're starting to feel different lately. I keep hoping that's because my milk glands are waking up."

"Interesting. I don't think I know of any other transwoman who is trying to breastfeed. Be sure to let me know how it works out."

"I'll be telling the world if it works. I never dreamed I would even try, but I never dreamed of having a baby, either."

"Any other positive aspects of your transition, Hope?"

I took a few minutes to tell her about Darcy.

"So not only have you managed to find a clear direction in your life, you have encouraged Darcy to move on with her life as well."

"I hadn't thought of it that way, but I guess I have. I consider Darcy my new best friend - best female friend. We have no secrets from each other - or at least none I know of. She's even watched me doing my breast pumping routine without laughing at me."

"Then she is aware of your transgendered status."

"As is her whole family. I've decided that there's no way to hide that fact so I'm honest about it when the subject comes up."

"And the negatives?"

"I've lost a couple of jobs by coming out, but I haven't lost any friends. In fact, I'm starting to see a new sideline in glamour shots for other TG folks. Nothing major yet, but things are coming along slowly. Darcy and I are thinking of finding room to offer makeup services for the shoots."

"A wise businesswoman caters to her customers. Do be careful not to overload yourself, your daughter deserves priority."

"Don't I know it. She seems to be going a bit longer between feedings, a girl can hope! I guess that's a positive trend for one of the big negatives of being a new mother."

"It's pleasant to have a client whose life seems to be improving. I'm tempted to say we should move to monthly visits unless things start to get out of control. Is that acceptable?"

"I think so. The demands on my time these days…"

"I can understand. Then I'll see you next month. And bring Dawn with you if you can, I'd like to keep track of her as well."

"Count on it!"
 

Thursday October 29, 2015

Must be the hormones. I hope I can blame it on the hormones. I've been a bitch all day. (Sorry Darcy!) A bitchy photographer gathers no customers, so I've been trying to control it, but really!

The morning wasn't so bad, I just had to take pictures of inanimate stuff, stuff that didn't care if I bitched at it. It didn't move or wiggle or cry or ignore me. (Well, since it couldn't do much else, of course it ignored me - but it wasn't rude about it.)

For some reason the lights didn't cooperate, the shadows kept creeping in, the whosits reflected off the camera lens, the whatsis zigged when I wanted it to zag and the frabulator fribulated at the critical moment. Murphy's law, personified in an inanimate object.

Dawn was fussy, breaking my concentration and Darcy couldn't seem to amuse her all morning. And then my tits were itching. The one really bad thing about wearing falsies is you can't scratch your boobs with falsies in you bra! Damn! Sounds like the start of a very bad country song. Good thing I don't have a wife or a pickup truck to lose tragically or the morning could have really gone to hell!
 

You can't scratch your boobies with falsies in your bra

That's what heard from my mother-in-law

'Specially if your standin' right next to your paw

Or they'll throw you clean out of Arkansas
 

I think I better abandon Nashville and stick to photography.
 

I made it through the afternoon with several portrait sessions, and I don't think I offended anyone. Portrait sessions are pretty much cut-and-dried in the studio. Pick a background, adjust the seating heights, the lighting is a known quantity after a few years in this studio. The trick is to get the subject to look natural.

Notice I didn't say happy - you'd be amazed at how many people - especially men - want a grim portrait. OK, a serious portrait or a staid portrait or a portrait. To me they look grim, but I've learned to keep my mouth shut. Digital photography is a boon here, I can show them the results on the monitor right away. If they don't like the pictures we can try again while everything is set up. Saves time and money for everyone.

The last session of the day was a very delightful family, and I let Darcy do this one since she seemed to have made a connection with them. The family loved the pictures.

Darcy laughed her fool head off when the first thing I did after they left was pop open the nursing bra and remove the falsies. Damn it felt good to scratch!
 

Friday, October 30, 2015

An outdoor session today - a local restaurant that wanted to publicize their new patio seating. The owners must have called all their friends and relations to come down - dressed to the nines - to look like they were having a gay old time at the place while I roamed around and took supposedly candid shots of the diners. Dawn and Darcy even got co-opted as part of the crowd because they're both so darn cute.

Of course my itchy boobs were back in full force, but I couldn't say anything, much less scratch. It was an unusually warm day for October and I was sweating. Have you ever had to act normally when your plastic falsies are swimming in sweat in your bra? Not so much fun.

I made it through and beat a hasty retreat to the ladies room to try and mop up the sweat. Sitting on the pot I opened the nursing bra and removed my slippery ersatz breast, wiping off with some paper from the towel dispenser. I was about to replace it when I saw a drop of milky white liquid form on my nipple.

Milk.

On my nipple!

I exited the restroom with a shit-eating grin on my face, found Dawn and Darcy and adjourned to a quiet spot in one of the specialty rooms. Dawn was cooperative and latched on quite handily. I felt something I've never felt before in my breasts. I can't find words for it, only that it was something completely new to me. I suppose any nursing mother has felt whatever it was, but this was me nursing my child!

It didn't take Dawn long to empty me out, so I switched breasts and let her have at it on the other side. As I was reveling in the feeling the restaurant owner came in and saw me nursing.

"Ah, so sweet. We'll talk after she's done. There's nothing urgent." and he left us to continue this beautiful mother-and-child bonding.

We had to stop on the way home to pick up some nursing bras to fit my hormone enhanced, now almost-B-cup breasts and nursing pads. Vanity be damned - my brand new falsies were no longer practical if I was going to be breastfeeding. Besides, my nipples were getting really sensitive. Let everyone wonder what happened to deflate my boobs.
 

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Halloween. I had a problem this year. Before I admitted my trans status to the world, Halloween was the only time I could let Hope out into the world and get away with it. Mom and Dad must have figured out something was going on when I found a female character for every Halloween, but they were cool about it until I was ready.

Now that Hope was permanent, what was I going to do for a costume? I had put it off, what with working and raising Dawn, and here it was Halloween and I still had no idea. Darcy and Dawn were Momma Dinosaur and Baby Dinosaur, but I had to assemble something from my closets and props in the studio, and I had only a couple of hours to do it. Darcy could barely contain her amusement as I dithered. That girl could do my Mother's Faintly Amused Queen Face almost as well as my mother.

Way back in my closet I found a short, red flouncy skirt and in the box of Christmas stuff I found an elf hat. Hummm… White puffy blouse, sort of a semi-halter in black leather, put it together and I was a garden gnome. I had a pair of stripy knee socks that my brother had given me one Christmas (Ralph has NO fashion sense) and some construction paper pointy toes on my slippers. Good enough.

Handing out candy to kids as a mother had special meaning that year.

Darcy left to meet her new flame Rory for their own party. (Calvin didn't work out.) When the kids stopped knocking at the door, Dawn and I went to sleep. Oh, the exciting life of a new mother!
 

Sunday, November 1, 2016

"Hi Hope. Can Dawn come out and play?"

Kathy was here. What do you do with an enthusiastic teenage girl bouncing on your front steps on a quiet Sunday morning?

"You might have to wait until she can at least crawl before she goes out to play, but come in and she just might let you cuddle her."

"Sure thing!"

Gad! Where does she get the energy? Same place Dawn does, I suppose. After being up half the night with a grumpy baby I sure don't have any energy to spare.

Damned if the little traitor didn't perk right up when Kathy held her! I suppose gift horses come in all forms, so I just sat down and let the two of them have at it. I woke up to the familiar refrain of the Hungry Baby Symphony.

"Uh, Hope… I think maybe she's hungry"

"That's probably right. Hand her over."

"Should I get her bottle ready?"

"No need."

What the heck? It should be fun to see what Kathy thinks of me breastfeeding. I did cover myself with a blanket, but the obvious smacking sounds left no doubt as to what was happening under it.

"You're breastfeeding!"

"Yup!" I don't think the canary feathers were too obvious around my lips, although I was purring in contentment while Dawn nursed.

"That is so radical!" exclaimed Kathy.

"I still need to use a bottle since my milk just came in and I'm not up to full production, as it were."

"But how?"

"How did a former guy end up with working tits? Don't worry, you won't be the only one with that question."

"Sorry…"

"Don't be. We're friends, Kathy. I take hormones every day, the endocrinologist just prescribed the right hormones to get the milk glands working. Not quite that simple, but that's the essence."

"You'd do that much for your baby?"

"Of course. I may not have spent nine months carrying her, but she's my daughter and I would do a whole lot more than take some pills in order to give her the best start in life that I could."

"Wow. I hope I can do as well when the time comes."

"I'm sure you will. Do me a favor, though?"

"What?"

"Wait until you're married. This single mother gig is not the easiest thing to do. There's a pretty good reason why people want to raise children with two parents."

"I think that's a pretty good idea. I know you look pretty worn out sometimes."

"That's because I'm pretty worn out. Having Darcy helps a whole lot, but sometimes I wish I had a husband."

"It could happen, Hope."

"Maybe, but there isn't much market for wives who used to be men."

"Now cut that out! How can you sit there feeding a baby from your own breast and think you could be anything but 100% woman?"

"I can see just why you're such a good cheerleader. Rah-rah-rah! Kick those doubts in the ass!"

"Now she's complaining about her ass! Would a guy be worried about his ass?"

"Maybe a piece of it?"

"Who wants a piece of ass?"

A thoroughly disheveled Darcy had made her appearance.

"From the look of you, I think Rory may have gotten a piece of ass last night!" Kathy remarked.

"Hah! A lady never tells."

"Nope, with that only time will tell. Say about nine months?"

"You're not the only one in this household who takes pills, Hope."

"Glad to hear it. Must have been some Halloween party."

"A lady never tells."
 

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

"I think she's smiling at me," enthused Darcy.

"Could be. Could be gas, too."

"It's too cute to be a burp."

"So maybe a fart?"

"Don't listen to the sour old lady, Dawn. She's just grumpy because you're smiling at me and not at her."

Dawn responded with a resounding belch.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Darcy. Mama knows best."

"She's still smiling."

"After producing a belch like that, how could she do otherwise? Fine work, darling."

"If she's going to be this cute, we need to take some pictures."

"Great idea. We can put her in that outfit that my mother gave her and hope she doesn't puke all over it before we get the shots."

"You're in a fine mood today, Hope."

"Blame the hormones, or maybe the lack of sleep."

"Hey - she waited until five to demand breakfast last night."

"I suppose that's a good thing. Who ever thought I'd regret being able to breastfeed? Maybe we should get you on a hormone regimen so you can help out."

"Thanks, but I'll wait until I produce milk the normal way."

"But then you'll be married and living somewhere else. Won't do me a bit of good."

"Timing is everything, I suppose. You can always foster another one, Dawn should be a lot older by then. I'll need time to find a man and get married first."

"What? Rory isn't interested? I'm sure he'd be thrilled to have me knocking on your door at four AM to feed the little bugger."

"I'm sure he'll be the perfect man and won't mind - too much! That's not saying how I'll feel!"

"C'mon Dawn! We need to get you dressed up so Darcy can take your picture."

"You get fancied up too, Mamma. We need some family pictures."

"You're family, Darcy. Let's all get prettied up and see what happens."

It was interesting letting Darcy direct me, that girl is getting a real feel for a shot. We played with the self-timer and got all sorts of combinations of our little family. The pictures came out very well, indeed.
 

Friday, November 6, 2015

I can't believe it's been a week since my milk came in. Miracles happen and then they become commonplace. If I'm shooting and the time comes to feed Dawn, I take a break and let the little bugger chow down, covered with a discrete baby blanket. Darcy and I have become tag-team mothers and photographers with her taking over the camera while I feed Dawn until I run out of milk.

She's become quite competent at setting up a shot and drawing out the clients. Then Darcy finishes up with a bottle while I return to the camera. Darcy is becoming indispensable.

Breastfeeding an infant while working has been a revelation. If my clients know I'm trans, which many of them do, their reactions are priceless. That's me - the Master Card Mommy.

Most of them don't have the nerve to ask how I can do it, but there are some… I suppose if they come to me for pictures knowing I'm trans they must be liberal minded, so I haven't gotten any lectures about being 'unnatural ' or 'brazen' or anything like that.

Of course my trans clients want all the details, so I am happy to tell them how it works for me. If they're nice about it I even show them my pumping bra, which gets some very interesting reactions.

Speaking of bras, I'm filling the B cup pretty well now that my milk came in. Amazing what hormones can do, especially when those annoying little testosterone generators are no longer with me. Can a C cup be far behind?

Interesting that at school I strived to get an A grade and now I would be thrilled with a D. Some people are never satisfied.

One side effect of being a mother is that I'm seeing a lot more of my own mother these days. Darcy has some competition in baby handling, Mom is positively gaga over the kid. Dad took a little time to admit he was gaga as well, but now he isn't afraid to blow bubbles on Dawn's tummy and make silly noises to amuse her. I'm also hearing some interesting stories about what I did as a baby.

They tell me I was as cute as Dawn, but I'm not sure I believe them. After all, Dawn is the cutest baby in the world.
 

Monday, November 9, 2015

First foster parent class tonight. Darcy is watching Dawn and I'm sitting at a table in a big room watching movies and learning how the foster system works. There are three hetero couples, one gay couple and me, the odd girl out. We did the usual introduce yourself thing and I think my classmates weren't expecting that I was already a foster mother. They all seem like nice people, not surprising if they were willing to open their homes to a distressed child.

Since the session is several hours long - there's a lot to learn! - at the break I had to find a corner and pump my breasts. First time I've had to do that away from home. It felt funny to be there using what looked for all the world like a bicycle horn to suck on my breasts, but that's what was required. I had a small cooler bag with a couple of those plastic ice blocks ready for the little bottle of milk.

I was pleased, I managed to extract just over four ounces. I knew I was producing more milk lately, but Dawn doesn't come with a measuring option, so I had no idea how much. I was just about empty when Pat, one of the wives, looked in and was surprised to see me.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just curious about what the place looked like."

"Not a problem. When you're breastfeeding being away from the baby can get a bit painful. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable now."

"I remember! Mine were all greedy little beggars. I had so much milk I was able to donate some to the milk bank."

"Milk bank?"

"Oh yes, there's a place that actually stores breast milk for babies that need it. I had no trouble helping out."

"And I don't have enough. The world works in strange ways."

"I'll leave you to finish up. I have to admire you for taking on an infant like you did, you're a good woman."

"I'm trying to be."

Can anyone blame me if I was grinning like a fool for the rest of the evening?