A new kind of dating...

So, when you're young and single, you can meet people fairly easily -- especially if you go to college, where the organizations are set up so that you can meet people with like interests and create those "lifelong friendships" everybody talks about.

Then, you get married and have children... and things change.  Suddenly, the concept of meeting people and "compatibility" is based on completely different things.  Whether someone is a good match has to do with your children--their ages, your parenting philosophies, etc.

Now, I'll admit:  I am very fortunate to have friendships that are strong and super-meaningful to me.  Aren't my best friends gorgeous?

Vanessa, Me, & Christine

Unfortunately,... they live many miles away in different directions, and we don't get to see each other as much as I'd like.  So, that leads to this - this need to meet new people, and ya know -- keep me from going insane?

Believe it or not, making new mom friends is hard.  So, when I finally had the opportunity to make a friend and plan a "Mommy Date" not very long ago, I was actually a little nervous.  There's a teacher that my husband works with who has a baby a little less than a month older than Natalie.  In mommy-speak... that means compatibility.  So, we ran into her, with her baby (Bonus! Something to start the conversation.... ding, ding, ding!) at the grocery store.  Taylor introduced us, and I said one of my probably-not-that-funny quips about Mommyhood, and she laughed.  Woo hoo! Instant camaraderie over our babies and mommy-dom.  Yes!  But, then it was back to grocery shopping.  And it hit me!  Neither of us had exchanged information and we hadn't made plans to meet.  All that charm (okay, more like nervous-babbling-because-I-really-wanted-this-new-person-to-like-me) had been for nothing.  Blech!  I disgust myself.

But, I got a second chance in the parking lot, and I pulled up my big girl panties long enough to ask her if her family of three would want to get together sometime with the three of us.  And then, I felt like the nerdy guy getting the girl's phone number.  Even worse, I'm like the nerdy guy who doesn't even know what to do with them when he does get the digits.  What do you expect?  I'd never done this before! 

Then late last week, we met a mommy with twins about Natalie's age (she told us that they were conceived through in vitro, and we had an instant connection both because of our babies ages and because of infertility), and she was so suave asking for my phone number... it made me realize that I really was like the nerdy, inexperienced guy when I had asked for that other mommy's information.  Oh, to be suave and cool like this other mommy.  Oh great - it's like high school all over again.  But then again, this time, I'm a little less self-conscious about the extra fat packed onto my rolls around the middle, and I've got an adorable baby girl who thinks all of my dorky jokes and ridiculous sound effects are hilarious.

Thankfully, looking back on my whole "Mommy Date Pick-Up" encounter just makes me laugh, and now we have a plan for our families to meet and have dinner next weekend.  I'd call it a play date with our kids to make it seem less ridiculous... but I'm pretty sure a play date for babies less than 6 months old is ridiculous.  Just sayin'.

Natalie is 4 months old now!

New Mommy Top-Ten List

You Know You Just Gave Birth to Your First-Born because…

#10:  Your newest (and possibly only) accessory is now a burp cloth.

#9:  You have become super skilled at multi-tasking, like breastfeeding while texting, doing dishes, or making the bed.  You are definitely the only person you know who breastfed while putting on make-up this morning. 

#8: You’re absolutely amazed that you even had the energy to put on that make-up this morning.  And were it not for the fact that you are going somewhere to see important people today, you would’ve considered it a lost cause.

#7: You’re no longer sure that a world exists outside of your baby’s room, much less your house.  And because no world exists, you realize it would be a wasted attempt to post on your blog.

#6: You suddenly find yourself driving a minivan because they’re safe and family-friendly, when all you ever wanted before was a tiny car that looked “cool” and got great gas mileage so that you could road-trip whenever you felt like it (or wait, was that just me??). 

#5: Every time you get in that minivan, you have to take so much stuff that it feels like you’re moving (even if you’re just going down the road for a couple of hours!).   Hey, you never know when the little one is going to explode out of the diaper… all over your friends’ couch.  So, you learn to take extra-extra clothes and how to apologize profusely.  (I’m so sorry, Christine and Evan… I hope she didn’t ruin your loveseat!)

#4: The best thing that has happened to you since your baby was born was fitting into a pair of non-maternity pants.  Granted, it took 7 weeks and said pants would have caused you to gag if you’d fit into them before pregnancy because they were your “fat” pants.  But now, hooray!  They don’t have to have the stretchy belly band!!

#3: You encourage watching sad movies because then at least you won’t look like a blubbering idiot when you tear up, like you suddenly do at every corny, sappy commercial.  And now, the amount of time you have to watch television and movies is actually less than the length of most commercials.

#2:  You suddenly have to have a camera phone, digital camera, video camera, and mini digital camera with you all the time because you know that the new little bundle is going to do something just phenomenally adorable… like wake up.

#1:  You know your baby is the most beautiful being on the entire planet.  And you’ve seen George Strait, Brad Pitt, Channing Tatum, and Jake Gyllenhaal… without shirts. Ha, ha!

Happy January, everyone!  Natalie is now 8 weeks old!!