It gets better

Sorry for the radio silence - I've been crazy busy lately, between the working-from-home and the being-Nick's-mom, getting back into my running schedule, and working on he organization. I love being busy, but it certainly makes blogging more difficult.

Anyway, I'm writing because I had a proud mom-moment the other day. I was at my favorite coffee shop, picking up a boba tea. Another mom was sitting outside with a baby in a stroller. She flagged me over and asked me about my son - how old he was, what he was doing at the time, how big he is, etc. Turns out, she has a three week old boy, and this is her first trip out of the house. She was in the throes of overwhelmed first-time parenthood, and wanted to know how long it had taken before I felt "normal" again.

I ended up chatting with her for a while, telling her stories about my experience and assuring her that it does get better. Her baby will sleep, and he will figure out how to nurse. He will learn to entertain himself, and he will stop crying when he hears your voice. I promised her that she would start to feel human again in a week or two, and that it only gets better from there!

I love talking to new/expecting moms and giving advice. I know that all kids are different so my stories are only so helpful... however, I also know that it is extremely comforting to hear what other people are doing, even if only to fool yourself into thinking that your situation is normal. Every new challenge is scary. It is less scary if you know that every other parent has had the same fears, has made the same mistakes, and has experienced the same things.

I know that I have a lot to learn, but it is nice to compare notes with others. And it was fun the other day to be the smooth, confident, knowledgeable mom... at least for a few minutes!