Mommy (and Baby) Networking

Networking is an absolute must for a new mom or mom-to-be! I know I would not have enjoyed my maternity leave or been as confident a mom without the support of my mommy friends! There's a special bond that we all share because we've all been through the same milestones at some point or another with our little ones. I also love the fact that James has a network of friends that he has know since he was 3 or 4 months old, so basically most of his life. I hope that no matter where life takes us all that we can try to stay in touch and that the kids can still remain as lifelong friends!

For those of you who are expecting or just had a baby here are some helpful ways to meet new moms in your area:

MeetUp:
One of the first things I did was search the Internet and I found a website called MeetUp. This was my jump start to meeting new moms. I looked for mom groups in my area and created an account. Next I started attending some meetups in my area. Once there I was able to talk with other moms and after getting to know them week after week we became friends. One mom I knew did something even better and she messaged other moms in the meetup site and suggested places to hang out. This is a great way to meet people!

Community Center or Library:
Check your local library or community center for baby drop-ins, reading groups for babies. My community center was a great outlet during the hot summer months. James and I would hang out there with other mommies and babies. We enjoyed playing and especially circle time where we sang songs to all the kids. They loved it! Also the local library usually has a story time where there is a special room and time for kids to read and to be read to.

Mom and Baby Fitness:
There are countless classes available for mom and baby like pilates, swim classes, yoga, and even salsa classes. Before you start wondering if I'm nuts, the way dance classes work is by placing baby in a carrier. Lol! Usually the community center will have these classes at a discount, but you can also check dance studios, etc for more information. Although I have never taken James to a swim class, the moms I spoke with say that they do water aerobics then swim time with the baby.  Babies are in floaters while mom is doing aerobics so it's completely safe. :) My other mom friend said that her daughter would nap for 3 hours after swimming! So there are some additional benefits of exercise like some quiet time if you are lucky!

Gymboree Play&Learn Classes:
I am sad to say that I have still never been here, but I will get to Gymboree someday! :) My mommy friends swear by it and absolutely love this place. For babies they have a play & learn class that for 0-5 years and a music class for 6 months - 5 years. They do have other classes, but these will be the most relevant for new moms. I'd like to try out the music class perhaps on the weekend. As Gymboree can be expensive, look out for Groupon deals as I saw some last summer and believe that there will be more coming soon. I will post them on my FaceBook group: Silly Baba, Silly Mama if I see any. Once I attend a class I'll do a review to let you know what it's like.

Talk, Talk, Talk:
Another tip is to talk to everyone! I would talk with moms while walking down the street, while in my elevator, etc. The more people you know the better.

Once I had a few people that I thought were interesting, I started inviting them to come to my home for playdates, or meet to go for long walks, etc. through these means I have at least 10 close mom friends.
All of our babies are different ages so moms with older kids are a wealth of knowledge and you can help those with younger babies. I find that moms are a wealth of knowledge and are eager to help with sleeping tricks, recipes for baby, or just someone to talk with. As an added bonus the dads have gotten to know each other too and have been hanging out too so it's a win-win for everyone!

I hope you take my advice and use some of these means to meet some new friends, you and baby need it! Also if anyone else knows of other networking means, please share them with us on the blog!

Happy reading!

Rachel

Girls Night Out!

As I was doing my hair yesterday I was trying to remember the longest amount of time I was away from James which was about 3 hours (excluding his time at daycare). Since he was born I have been faithfully at his side, being there for every moment. Once I spent a few hours at my sister in laws for dinner one evening with some other friends, but I wouldn't consider that a "going out" moment. The reason I say that is because she lives across the street and I can even see into our living room from her window! Lol!

Well this was my first official night out since James was born and who better to spend it with than my mommy friends. I know we were attempting the impossible, because how do you coordinate or make plans with moms! As you moms know, we are highly unpredictable as what we do depends on our little ones well being, sleep and eat schedule, etc. With that said I was so pleased that we had such great turnout considering the odds were not in our favor. :)

I have curly hair so whenever there is an occasion I straighten it, this time I wanted to try something different so I went with a curling iron curly look. My mom is in town, so she and Adit were looking after James which gave me time to get ready. :) First I had to find the curling iron that I hadn't seen in over a year so when I found it under the mess in my under sink cabinet it was covered in dust. Lol! Luckily it still worked so I adjusted the heat and began to section my hair. I grabbed a chunk of hair and attempted to wrap it around the iron then voila, it was a mediocre wave. How did I used to do this I thought? Well I tried again a few more times and finally got it along with a few burns on my fingers, but it was well worth it. I was very pleased with the outcome.

Once my hair was all done it was time to see James. Since he's walking now he kept banging on my bedroom door because he wanted in. Once I opened the door he started to run toward me with the biggest smile on his face! Then I told him it was bedtime! I think he knew because he tried to wiggle out of my arms to keep playing with Dada and Grandma! After reading a few stories and nursing he was asleep. I felt so relaxed, but then I remembered that I needed to get ready and go. I rocked him some more and gently placed him in the crib. After patting his back a few times I was ready to tip-toe out and get my night started.

My next dilemma was figuring out what to wear. I haven't dressed up in ages either. Since I'm nursing, my wardrobe consists of my uniform (my pajamas) then my daytime clothes which are either gym pants or jeans and my nursing tops. Lol! As I did used to go out before James I had some fancier clothes for the occasion. The best part about going out in the evening was that I didn't have to wear a nursing bra! After that I was able to do my makeup and head over the the restaurant with my friend.

Our reservation was for 8pm, but of course only a couple moms were punctual and the rest of us came late, myself included! Luckily the restaurant accommodated us and allowed us to keep the reservation. I am sure if they knew it was a table of moms they would have thought twice about accommodating us! Lol! Once there we were all relaxed and chatting. Some of us have started work others still home, so we had a lot to catch up on. Then we had a lovely dinner, the food was amazing I really enjoyed my lamb. It was cooked perfectly, but as a nursing mom I would prefer a larger portion. Sadly I think I can even out-eat Adit, lol!

It was great having an outing, but like everyone else on the table we kept our phones close. :) James is feeling much better, but he still has an ear infection in one ear. His sleeping is unstable now and he wakes up between 3-4 times at night. Adit and I have been taking turns putting him to sleep, but since I'm nursing I still have to get up each time if Adit can't put him back to sleep. For some reason I knew James would wake up early and at around 10:30 I got a text that he was awake. Adit said that he was screaming and that he was having difficulty falling asleep again. I told him that I was still having dinner and that he should walk with him and keep him in his bedroom. After about 20-30 minutes it still wasn't working. My mom tried too, but he still kept crying. This meant that he needed me. So I told my friends that I had to leave early to tend to James. We can't blame James because he wasn't feeling well and I was glad that I was able to enjoy the night thus far. So I skipped dessert and rushed home to James.

Once I entered the condo I heard silence, so I tip-toed in and grabbed the monitor to see if he was asleep. As I suspected he wasn't because I could see him moving around as Adit was rocking him. I quickly got back into my pj's and rushed into relieve Adit. Once James was in my arms I nursed him and he closed his eyes and feel asleep soon after. It felt so nice holding him in my arms. Now that I am working I don't get to spend much time with him, so I enjoy the late night nursing sessions, even though I feel the lack of sleep during the day.

All in all I had a great time! I still consider the night a success since I made it out and had fun. I look forward to the next outing and hopefully James will feel better so that Mama can go dancing with the girls!

So it only took me over a year to have my first night out after baby, when and where did you first go out, and how was it? Please share it with us on the blog!

Happy reading!

Rachel

Also here's a couple pics from last night at the restaurant!