Why Mommy Friends Matter

So it's been awhile...I thought about posting the obligatory "I'm sorry I neglected the blog; I'll be better" post, but I'm gonna skip it and not make promises I can't keep.

***

The little guy is getting bigger (slowly, but surely), and in his zest for toddlerhood, he has decided that naps are for chumps--at least naps in the house. He's perfectly willing to sleep in the car or in the stroller or nursing on my lap but in our bed or in his crib, not so much.

Between his general lifelong hatred of sleep and my work schedule, this has been a hectic and stressful semester, so when we got an invitation to a St. Paddy's day party, we quickly lined up a babysitter and were looking forward to an evening out.

So when that babysitter came down with a stomach bug and had to cancel, I was super bummed and resigned myself to moping around the house all day, fighting the little guy to sleep, and eventually falling exhausted onto the couch.

When I got the opportunity to take a walk down the street to hang out with my sister, her kids, two other friends and their kids, it seemed like a golden opportunity to get out.

I didn't spend the day bitching about the baby, my life or my husband. In fact, I probably talked to the kids more than the grown-ups...although maybe that's because the grown-ups were quite outnumbered. All the same, it felt good to get out, let my son play with some friends and get some fresh air.

So when he didn't nap again today, I didn't turn into a ball of rage and frustration. I shrugged my shoulders and started counting the hours to sunset. He fell asleep minutes before the sun went down...thank god for that.

***

This post brought to you by Arlu, from Textbroker.