I don't know that I have ever had so much to learn, and all this learning has had its challenging moments. However, as you parents promised, things really have been getting better. Here are some of the things that we have been learning:
* Showering before 3 PM = humanity. I can't even say how much the pedicure on Monday did for me.
* A $4 investment in an ocean sounds CD is worth much much more.
* A baby can like a hair dryer even when they don't have much hair. (I put it on low sometimes when he's fussy.)
* My exercise ball not only serves as an excellent desk chair, but as a baby soothing machine.
* Baby poop does smell unpleasant. And, you can hear it arrive from across the room.
* Baby fingernails grow fast and can be like talons.
* Parenting takes sacrifice. (We still think Zeke has a mild milk intolerance. He's been less fussy since I gave up milk, but now I am going to start cutting back on other dairy to see if it makes a difference. Goodbye, ice cream! Hello, Tofutti?)
* Parenting makes you forget things or overlook things. This year we barely noticed our 12 year anniversary of being a couple (our 7th wedding anniversary is in July).
In the past few days, I feel like I have thrown myself further into learning experiences. For example, today I went to TWO different mother groups. I have been to these in addition to the mother group from the hospital and the reunion of the childbirth class. It is amazing to see the diversity of moms, but fun, too. I won't keep going to all these groups, but I wanted to see which ones I liked. Today, I went to a neighborhood play group for infants. They meet once a week at a different mom's house. It was just as much fun to see my neighbor's house as it was to see all the babies. That one was in the morning. In the evening I went to the La Leche League meeting. Different type of group...more "crunchy" earth-mamaish types. That group meets in the evenings so I am more likely to return there.
Here is my summary. Mom groups are great. No one cares if your baby screams. Everyone expects you to ask questions, dumb or otherwise. It is part of the experience that you will probably lift up your shirt and show some boob. Absolutely no one minds if you are half an hour to an hour late. Of course, you don't want to run late because you might not get a comfy seat on the couch or leaning against a couch...better for nursing (which I have done at both groups).
I have actually discovered that there is this whole subculture heretofore unknown to me of mom groups. I think the four groups I have attended are just the tip of the iceberg. I went to Barnes and Noble with Zeke the other day and noticed a group of moms chatting and sitting on the floor with their babies in the children's section. It's a whole new world I've entered and I still feel a bit like a field anthropologist.
On Wednesday, I get back together with the moms from our class. Look for us at Starbucks!
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