Depot Digits

Oh my goodness, random alert, I just remembered the first time I got mommy digits. Yes, friends, this has happened to me before! What can I say, I am one sassy momma! Paint chips in hand and swollen belly abounding, I waddled through my local Home Depot on a Friday night. I realize that sounds a little pathetic, but I was pregnant and desperate to get my nursery painted, so get over it. And apparently, I wasn’t the only pregnant lady in town with this idea because the place was crawling (or should I say, waddling) with pregos and their husbands. In my pregnant mind, this pretty much equates to the local bar scene; only there’s no loud music to shout over, the strobe light has been replaced by fluorescents and clearly there’s no alcohol.

But I did have that uncomfortable sense that someone was “checking me out,” which caused me to look up and make eye contact with … a fellow momma-to-be … to whom I gave a friendly smile. Emboldened by my initial reaction, she approached.

Just based on our shared physical condition, it was clear that we had much in common - growing babies creates a camaraderie that simply cannot be ignored. It’s kind of like the possibility of hooking up draws creepy guys to drunk girls, but I digress - just didn‘t want to lose the bar analogy.

After a decent conversation about nursery decorating, the nuances of registering, and the excitement of surprise gender, we reluctantly said our good-byes. Back to the task at hand - picking out a paint color - and I get a tap on the shoulder. A tiny scrap of paper is being handed to me - it’s owner has a somewhat embarrassed look on her face - and it has her name and phone number.

I scored mommy digits on a Friday night at Home Depot!

Mom Dating

I am fairly certain I was picked up at Starbucks today. Her nonfat vanilla latte came up just before my own nonfat, extra hot chai tea latte. She swayed with a sleeping, knit hat clad baby in her oh-so-northwest Ergo carrier. I rhythmically pushed my stroller to-and-fro in the hopes that my little NHV would finally fall asleep. Eyes met. Knowing glances were exchanged. And a 15-minute conversation ensued ... with a total stranger ... a woman who, prior to giving birth, wouldn't have even said hi to me as we grabbed our hot beverages from the barista's counter!

Our tiny companions give us enough in common to chat like old friends. Of course, we provided our babies' names before we introduced ourselves - that's what mommies do. I think we are so darn proud of having made such a monumental decision, that we just have to share that information first. Anyway, we covered incredible amounts of information about our babies - from age and weight to sleeping and eating habits ... and about ourselves - from our feelings about the dreary NW weather to our decisions about returning to work. Yes, it was a successful first date.

Our conversation ended with a somewhat awkward phone number request, but something tells me, she won't call. And that's alright with me. You see, the immediate and compelling need for adult interaction was satisfied ... at least for today. And there's always another mommy to meet ... and, if I am being honest, that fact is more than a little comforting. There are days when the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" just isn't enough.

Blog Expectations

So I am trying to figure out what exactly I hope to accomplish by Blogging. I am honest enough with myself to admit that I am the kind of person who needs purpose, a reason for doing what I'm doing. I am also a visual learner, which means I need to SEE my goals in order to be able to keep them in mind. Considering my current (and seemingly incurable) case of Mommy Brain, I figure it can't hurt to go ahead and "noodle" this through ...

By blogging I hope to ...

1. create a lasting account of my first year as a mom and Natalie's first year of life
2. challenge myself to write on a consistent basis - at least two posts each week
3. share my experiences with other new moms
4. give my friends and family something to do in their spare time :)
   
   Okay, that should just about do it. One post down, one to go!

Birthday Week!

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE my birthday! Those who love me - heck even those who barely know me - know that I have been celebrating Birthday WEEK since high school. This probably sounds a little indulgent, however the fact of the matter is, my friends and family have done nothing to try to stop me. If anything, I've received enthusiastic support of my extended celebration ... love it, love it, love it!

This year marks my second Birthday in the NW and my first Birthday as a mommy (last year was my first Birthday as an expectant mommy). To make this year extra special, I did my best to incorporate both aspects - my location and my new profession.

As a nod to my mommy side, Natalie and I hosted a playdate at our house - five other mommies and babies joined us for some tummy time fun and cupcakes. Does it get any better? Festivities included poopy diapers, lots of drool, minimal fussing, and homemade buttercream icing - on the cupcakes, that is!

To capture the NW, I invited six friends to have brunch with me at the Salish Lodge, located at the top of the Snoqualmie Falls. A location where we bring all our out-of-town guests. The scenery is gorgeous - mountains, evergreen trees, roaring water. To me Snoqualmie Falls epitomizes the northwest. I feel blessed to have met so many good friends - here in the NW - who shared in my celebration.

Winter Weather Blues

It only seems fitting that my first entry "from the NW" make mention of weather. Yes, it does rain here a lot, and I have pretty much had enough of it! The days are gray and dismal, and the nights last for 15 hours ... seriously, what's up with that? Looking at the forecast for the next 10 days, I find myself wondering, how hard is it to be a meteorologist in Seattle? Day after day after day of rain, possible snow showers, and temperatures around 40 degrees ... delightful!

Last January, my first winter in the NW, I was all but oblivious to the weather conditions and just about anything else for that matter. You see, my world revolved around the tiny human growing in my belly - or my uterus to be more specific. And the majority of my time - if I'm being honest - wasn't spent noticing the conditions outside my window, it was spent "looking at the inside of my eyelids." Thinking about it now, knowing what I know now, I realize that sleep was the perfect escape, like a vacation on a sunny beach in Hawaii. Perhaps that explains my current habit of going back to bed when Natalie takes her morning nap; I am just hoping for a brief return to the islands!

Speaking of sleep and Natalie, she actually let me sleep until almost 8:30 this morning - if you don't count the three feedings between the time I fell asleep and then. And when I did open my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised - make that completely shocked - to see rays of sunshine and peeks of blue sky. What a treat! In the time it took to feed Natalie and make a blueberry bagel with cream cheese (my current breakfast fav), the sky had clouded over and wet snow had started to fall ...