Aubrey Anne Finn

Friday, February 24, 2006

New Moms Rock!

I was in Target the other day with Aubrey and one particular young woman caught my eye. It wasn't just the fact that she had a baby that made her stand out. At that time of day, there are a ton of SAHM's (that's Stay At Home Moms for you laymen) out and about with their little ones. What made her stand out was the familiar, foggy look that seemed to glaze her face. You see, the baby she was pushing was only about 5, maybe 6 weeks old. To her credit, she was trying to put on a brave face, as if to say, "I'm a mom now, and I've got it totally together!" You can't fool me though. I knew that she had most likely been awake since 4 AM, hadn't washed her hair in a week, and probably couldn't even remember her husband's name.

I immediately empathized with her because it was not so long ago when I was also walking around dazed and confused. I remembered what it was like in Aubrey's early weeks when I was mustering up the courage to make a trip somewhere. I desperately wanted and needed to get out of the house, but also had to realistic... was it even worth the effort? By the time I...

... fed Aubrey,
... changed her diaper,
... picked out something besides pajamas for her to wear,
... changed her diaper again,
... packed her diaper bag with enough gear to travel for a week,
... put on one of the few non-stained outfits that fit my post-pregnancy body,
... strapped Aubrey in her car seat,
... made it down the elevator,
... buckled her into the back of the car,
... positioned every mirror so I could watch her from every angle,
... drove to the store in South Florida traffic,
... changed her diaper once again when I got there,
... sat in the car for a few minutes trying to remember exactly why I came to the store in the first place, only to realize all I really needed those days were diapers and wipes...

...it was time to turn around and head home because it was time for her next feeding. But I did it anyway, trying to preserve some sense of normalcy in my life. I wanted to give this new mom a big hug and make sure that she understood that it does get easier! Aubrey is really a joy to take shopping now. She spends half of her time chewing on her toys, and playing her new favorite game-Drop Something and See How Many Time Mommy Will Pick It Up. The other half is spent attracting attention from the far corners of the store. Although I have a feeling that I am creating a monster with all the spending we've been doing lately for our new house. Her first words have a good chance of being "debit" or "American Express."

So rock on, New Mom at Target. The "new mommy fog" will lift very soon!

posted by Keena at 7:15 AM | email this post | 2 comment