New Mom Isolation

One of my friends just had a baby about 3 weeks ago. He's a beautiful baby boy and I am so happy for her because she and her husband have wanted this for a while.

About a week after the baby was born, I stopped by her house to visit. I love babies and had been anxious to get over there but with all of the germs and illnesses going around, I decided to wait until I could go without my two-year old...daycare germs are a $?!#.

Once I got to her house it was just as I expected. She was happy but exhausted...in sweats and still trying to get used to the rigors of new motherhood. We had a great visit and I took care of the baby most of the time that I was there so that she could eat and just get a break...whatever that might be.

I hadn't spoken to her again until today. I could hear the same exhaustion in her voice and it got me thinking back to when I was a new mother...

After I had my daughter I was completely in love. Like I had heard so many times before, it was a love deeper than anything that I had experienced before, truly unconditional, and I saw the world in a different way. Seriously. That was the good part.

The other part of it was that in some aspects I didn't feel like my old self. Because my priorities changed and I saw things differently, I struggled to understand and get comfortable with the "new" me. At times I felt very isolated from my friends because while they were out doing things that I used to do, I was at home with my baby changing diapers, nursing, and rocking her to sleep. I realized that while everybody was happy for me and would occasionally stop by to visit, they continued on with their same child-free, carefree lives. It was business as usual for everyone but me.


I can't tell you how many times I though about dropping those friends for new mothers or single mothers who could relate to my situation. I was very lonely and at times depressed. In some ways I feel like this was my form of post-partum depression. It wasn't at all about the baby, it was about me.

And I'm sure that all of the drama that I was going through with her father didn't help the situation...

Back to my friend, I wish her the best. I made sure to let her know that if she needs any help with the baby that I'm here. Hopefully I can be that source of support for her that I needed during this time.

Be Blessed!

My Fabulous Weekend

For no reason in particular....

My 9 year old niece has been here visiting for the summer and I had an amazing time hanging out with her over the past couple of days. It is not often that I get to see her, let alone hang out, and it was just great to be able to put a smile on her face. We shopped, ate, went to Gattiland, and shopped some more.

On Saturday morning, we headed to Tennessee so that we could meet her grandparents, my aunt and uncle, at the half way point between Kentucky and South Carolina so that she could go back home. We met in the early afternoon, had lunch, then parted ways. Don't ask why, but I was super excited to see my aunt and uncle together....they have been divorced for nearly 25 years and I have always hoped that they'd get back together again...this trip was strictly business though...or at least as far as we knew.

After we parted ways, my cousin and I decided to go to the local outlets. We were already near the Gatlinburg area, a tourist resort in the Smoky Mountains, and the outlet mall there is fantastic. They have a little bit of everything and we really just wanted to check out what stores were there and do some quick shopping. In the usual fashion, I walked out with something for my baby and nothing for me.

Today, I grocery shopped with my mother, both of us with coupons in hand, and just spent time with her and my brother for the rest of the day. They are always good for laughs and a great time.

To top the weekend off, I spent nearly two hours on the phone catching up with my original BFF from high school. We hadn't spoken in about 6 or 7 years and it was great to pick up where we left off.

So while nothing major happened this weekend, it really was fabulous. Now it's back to the weekly grind.

Keep Ya Head Up

The world can be a really tough place these days.

I have a dear friend that is going through the most extreme of hardships right now...so much so that I struggle to find words of encouragement to lift her spirit.

Everything...I mean everything in her life is coming apart at once.

And sometimes things can get so bad in life that people just don't want to hear "everything will work itself out" or "everything is going to be okay"...in that moment it is not enough.

I have been through a rough time or two myself but nothing to this extent...so I try my best to be an open ear of support and be there in any way that I can to help her get through this.

It's all that I can do.

Ultimately I know that at some point things will turn around. She can only go up from here but for her sake, it needs to come sooner (and I mean soon) rather than later.