May 9, 2008
Take Me Out to the Mall Game
Right after Dawson was born, I had this irrational fear of taking him out in public alone. My baby intimidated me, and because I was nursing, I decided to only leave the house with Dawson in tow if it was absolutely necessary. This included monthly check-ups at the pediatrician’s office and the drive-thru at McDonald’s for coffee (only because I was too busy to brew my own).
It didn’t occur to me that saving my sanity was a must until Dawson was about a month old. I hated being alone while Doug was at work, and staying home was starting to drive me batshit crazy.
I decided to venture to our local (crappy) mall. I stuffed everything I thought I could possibly need into an oversized diaper bag with a bottle of pumped breast milk (I was too scared to nurse in public), a pacifier, burp cloth, diapers, wipes and toys that my son was too young to play with and loaded the stroller in the car.
Once we arrived at the mall, I did nothing but push a sleeping baby in the stroller while I window shopped. It was nice to be out of the house, but looking at clothes I couldn’t fit into made me feel depressed.
Not only that, watching skinny girls flock to the Vanity drove me to hide out in JC Penney. I was no longer a hip singleton in the latest fashions. I had to trade it all in for the postpartum “Mom Tracksuit”.
After I returned back to work and had the chance to converse with adults once again, I realized how ridiculous I was and going out with baby became a little easier.
We took trips to the library, local parks, the Children’s Museum, playgrounds and coffee shops, just to give me something to do that didn’t involve cleaning the house or doing too many loads of laundry. When summer rolled around we spent many hours at the beach and even went to a few summer concerts at the city band shell in Pfiffner Park.
It’s tough to find baby-friendly activities in the small town I live in. I wish I had a resource like The Rookie Mom’s Handbook when Dawson was an infant.
After the births of their first babies, authors Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss found that their days were becoming rather dull. So they challenged each other to post their favorite activities on their shared blog, Rookie Moms, until they reached one activity for each day of the baby’s first year.
I discovered the Rookie Moms blog through the BlogHer Ad Network and began reading it daily. I’m so excited that their best activities and ideas have been turned into a book. Definitely a must read for when the second Bebe de la Dana Files arrives (you know, Some Day). The Rookie Mom’s Handbook would make a great shower gift, too!
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This post is part of a blog blast sponsored by the Parent Bloggers Network. PBN is collaborating with Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss, authors of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook and fellow PBN bloggers, to inspire new moms to have more fun during their first year of motherhood.
Would you like to participate? Write a post about your “[insert word]” outings from your rookie mom year. Post anytime this weekend – Friday, May 9 through Sunday, May 11. Make sure to link http://www.rookiemoms.com and http://blog.parentbloggers.comparentbloggers@gmail.com. somewhere in your post. Then email the link to your post to
PBN will be linking them up on their blog all weekend long, so be creative with your title! Two winners will receive a fantastic gift bag filled with more than $250 worth of goodies for moms, including the brand new BABYBJÖRN® Baby Carrier Synergy, a child’s gardening kit from Smith & Hawken, a baby tshirt from Scout Organic Baby, and of course, a copy of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook. Plus, Heather and Whitney will choose their three favorite posts and feature them on their website!
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May 9th, 2008 at 11:21 AM, RubiaLala Says:
Unfortunately I didn’t learn that lesson for TWO YEARS after The Boy was born. I was not a happy person, so lonely and bored. It’s nice to know that others went through it too. And I eventually did learn and now everyone is much happier! I will keep those books in mind for new mommies so they don’t have to go through what I went through. Thanks!
RubiaLalas last blog post..Does Anyone Know What This Is?
May 9th, 2008 at 8:25 PM, Lisa's Chaos Says:
It’s kinda funny because I couldn’t wait to get out in the world with my baby and show the world I was now a mom and not only that but I had the beautifullest baby in the world.
Now I look back and wonder how I kept my sanity with 4 kids under 6 yrs old.
Lisa’s Chaoss last blog post..How I shoot Bluebirds
May 10th, 2008 at 9:37 PM, Lady M Says:
I didn’t go out much in the early days with my first son either. If only I’d realized how much easier it was to go out with one child than two!
Lady Ms last blog post..The Today Show, Mommybloggers, and Early Experiences with the Press
May 15th, 2008 at 4:11 PM, 26 links we appreciate » RookieMoms Blog Says:
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