Exhaustion & Relaxation

Today we joined my friend Michelle and her daughter Eliana at All Person's Park for a play date. I have been invited to join a moms group and for the past two months, Bella and I have been unable to attend for one reason or another. We finally were able to meet up with our friends and I think I'm going to join this moms group.

I have been part of a small moms group since Bella was about 6-months-old, when the big moms group we were apart of began to fall apart. It was nice because it was a small group and I liked all of the moms. We are still very much apart of this moms group and I plan to keep attending play dates and outings with this group of friends. I love that Bella has a small circle of friends that she will hopefully grow up with these little friends. The weekly play date is great because we know well in advance what we will be doing at least one day a week.

But I've been wanting to join a more formal moms group, but have been hesitant to do so because of bad experiences in the moms group we seceded from. The group leader wasn't very nice (to many people), the group was full of cliques and the events were often scheduled at times that weren't convenient to our schedule. In fact, I was "kicked out" of that moms group for inactivity, after I RSVP'ed to an event the day before. Go figure. Needless to say, I've had my guard up and I've decided to be more selective in the next moms group I joined. My friend Michelle and I met over two years ago (our husbands worked together), while I was pregnant with Bella. She worked full-time and I was busy with a newborn and unfortunately we never really kept in touch. Thankfully she is now a SAHM and we have reconnected through Facebook. She invited me to several play dates, which we were unable to attend because I was sick and/or Bella busted her mouth open that day. But for some reason she kept inviting us and I was happy to have finally attended an event.

I met a few of the moms and they seem pretty laid back and pretty normal. I didn't feel out of place for being the new girl and everyone made an effort to speak with me. Love that! I told Michelle I think we would like to join the group and would do so in the next few days. I think it will be nice to add some new moms and kids to the mix. It's not that I don't like my friends from my small moms group, it's just that I would like to add some new activities and meet some new people. And many of the moms already have two kids, so I will definitely be picking their brains for advice on life with two kids!

Bella was so exhausted from our play date at the park that she took an almost 4-hour nap! I also took a nap, as I was exhausted from chasing a toddler around the playground all morning long. My back is killing me and my body is telling me to get some relief, so I scheduled a prenatal massage for tonight. Hopefully I can get at least one massage a month until baby #2 arrives to help with the back pain and the edema (which hasn't started yet). What a great way to end a day... with an hour long massage!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2