Tonite we got together with Dean and Candie! They brought their two beautiful children, Lily, age 4 months, and Zachary age 2. We had a really nice time, and the kids played together beautifully. Zachary spent the night watching after Olivia and giving her lots of hugs and Kisses. We only get to see Dean and Candie 3-4 times a year, but we appreciate our time together alot. Unlike most of us 1st time parents, nothing phases them now. They're so much more relaxed than those of us navigating this journey as newbies, and it was refreshing to be with them tonite. I've seen the difference in them since this is their second time having a newborn. They're so much more relaxed...its funny how alittle expierience can give us some peace about our abilities. :)
We made homemade pizza, ate munchies, and enjoyed some wine together. Of course all of this was done bouncing kids in one arm, and trying to make food with my free hand. Juggling the kids and trying to catch up on our everchanging lives was a big task. We reminisced about days gone by, when we would sit around their bonfire chatting the night away, and just relaxing...this was pre-family of course. Tonite we barely got 2 sentences in before we lost our train of thought due to making funny faces at each others children, in an attempt to get a giggle. By the end of the night Lily was in 7pm meltdown "newborn fussy mode", so I wore her in my sling and we strolled around the house. She loved it! Candie was ever so grateful to see the sling work so well. It totally brought back memories of wearing Olivia in the sling during her fussy time, which always started around 5:30pm. Now at 8 months, just 4 short months later, 5:3o is now a great time to interact with her. Its funny how a few months just changes everything. Little Zachary at age 2, was requesting to see our basement over and over again, and Dean being the adorable father that he is, took him down there tirelessly.
So although our get together was a far cry from the ones that we used to enjoy, we all learned so much from each other tonite. I was able to look at two people who are raising two amazing kids, and learn real life stuff from them. We talked about real issues, and tried to give each other encouragement surrounding various things that we're going through. For Candie she is dealing with a close friend who is hurting her deeply, and they have been close since middle school. Dean is juggling an insane work schedule, and Dave and I are overwhelmed new homeowners. We all tried to listen to each other, and offer a few words of encouragement where we could. I think parenting makes you more open to discussing things with other parents, because I've found that other parents need each other. I always appreciate talking with other parents becuase I know that they "get it." They've entered this other great and complicated world with me, and they know exactly what I mean when I tell them that I forget to take care of myself, or confess that I haven't had time to wash my kitchen floor in two weeks. Theres a comfort there that comes with the intiation into parenthood. People that at one time I had nothing in common with, I now share a whole list of things in common. Its funny how that happens!
Tomorrow we're heading to our Neighborhood picnic sponsored by the association. I'm hoping to win a door prize, as they all sound great! We seen the big tent set up for tomorrow, and they're having the neighborhood kids take part in a parade...it sounds really cute. They're all decorating their bicylces and strollers. We won't be partaking the in parade, but we're going to the picnic to be neighborly. Dave didn't want to go, but I told him that its good to do things like this, and we'll probably meet a few more neighbors. Then we're off to ELLABEAN's 1st Birthday Bash!! Can't wait to see the little Bean and give her a big birthday hug!!
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