Mommy and Porter Play Dates

I have had the most amazing maternity leave.  Thanks to all of you who brought us food in the beginning, came to play, watched the baby so I could sleep, met me for lunch, gave me tips and tricks for breastfeeding in public, walked the dogs, loaned me baby clothes, baby toys, baby bottles, baby bouncers, baby swings, and for all your endless amount of support.  I would not have made it through the last 14 weeks with out you.

My last week is slowly drawing to an end and I am filled with joy when I look back and think of my friends and family over this time.  I have bonded with some of you in a way that I never thought possible, re-connected with some of you that I haven't talked to in years and made new friends that I will have for a lifetime.

When I look back at this time I can't help but smile and think about the new friends that I have made while learning to be a mom.  I started attending a breast feeding support group at St. Joe's Hospital when Porter was three weeks old.  The group meets in a room with lactation specialists from the hospital and they provided me with any and all support a new mom may have when learning to breast feed.  They also have a baby scale that determines how much weight you babe "gained" over the course of the hour feeding. It was very informative and very helpful.

About three weeks after I started attending the group, the most familiar read headed girl walked into the room.  I looked at her, she looked at me, and we started the, "How do I know you game??"  This went on for about 20 minutes, leaving us both perplexed because we knew we knew each other but couldn't figure out how. Finally, out of the blue, I asked her if she went to summer camp as a kid?  Lo and behold we had been on a one week backpacking trip together in 1991!  We realized we had a lot of catching up to do and we met for a walk the next week.

A few weeks later I invited long-lost-friend Katharine and a few other new moms from the support group to another mom's group I had been attending for the last 8 weeks.  This one is held at a yoga studio and is full of babies who are all under 12 weeks.  We sit around and ask each other questions we have about baby development, share sleep stories (or sleepless stories!), talk about baby carriers, fears about going back to work, husband support, boobs, crying, bathing and baby poop.  The class's structure is very open ended and I gained endless amount and information.

Because 5 of us were attending both classes together, between each class, we all started meeting for lunch and occupying our time at Udi's with more talk of babies, boobs, and poop, but did it all while enjoying a good lunch and a glass (sometimes two) of wine!  It's these ladies and these two classes that I may miss most when heading back to work.  I was excited as a kid Wednesday nights knowing that my fun mommy/baby play dates were happening the next day.  Today I left our last class and called my mom in tears because not only do I have to leave my baby in a few days but I have to leave the comfort of my new friends and venture back into reality.  I never thought that I'd say it, but if I could stay home and do laundry, vacuum, and clean bathrooms for the rest of my life--knowing that I could continue to play with Porter and meet mommy friends once a week, I'd do it in a heart beat!

Thank you Nicole (and Otis), Katharine (and Ivy), Alana (and Sammy) and Lis (and Isabella) for helping me to see that I'm doing everything right, for making me laugh and cry and showing me that going back to work won't kill me- it'll only make me a better mommy.  When I look back at this time you'll always hold a special place in my heart.

~Mama Jess