The other side of normal

When Safia was about two months old a friend of mine asked me if all the challenges of parenthood were worth it.  I have to admit that I hesitated before I said, yes, yes they are.  I finally feel like I can stop hesitating when I answer that question and say unequivocally, yes, yes it’s all been worth it.  Maybe I’m getting more confident in my role as mother, maybe Safia’s starting to figure out this whole baby thing, maybe we’re getting more sleep, maybe we’re (finally) at the end of the longest shortest time, or maybe there is no rhyme or reason.  Regardless, it’s a really nice place to be.  That’s not to say there are no more frustrations…believe me there are still lots of frustrations, but they seem to be less frequent, and I seem to be better equipped to handle them.  I guess we’re all doing lots of growing.

One thing that has sustained us through the beginning of this insane journey we’re on has been our friends and family.  The ones faraway that are there for a phone call when we need it or come for visits, or the ones that are close that drop by, provide us with entertainment, and even on those rare occasions, babysit for us!  A few events in the past few weeks have made me really thankful for our friends. First, a good family friend, who also happens to be a sleep doctor reached out to us to try to help ease my major frustration: nap time.  Seems that I’d consolidated naps too quick (I thought consolidated naps meant two naps, not three, which I now know is what babies her age really need) and wasn’t properly reading Safia signs of tiredness, resulting in a cranky, exhausted baby, and therefore, a cranky and exhausted mama.  With her insights and suggestions, nap-time has become soooooo much easier, which has made me soooooo much happier!  Thanks Janet! 

Second, Rube’s good friend Kurt came for a visit.  It was a short visit, but full of love and warmth.  We watched the Badgers slay NIU, and lamented the Bear’s sorry performance against the Saints.  We also stuffed our bellies full of the best food in the land, imbibed some choice bevies, and filled our hearts with all of Safia’s giggles and smiles. 

Third, in the past few weeks a bizarre set of instances of long-lost friends re-entering our lives have kept us on our toes.  In one such instance, a friend/collegue from when I worked in Colorado (seven years ago) moved to Athens with her husband, who just happens to be in my program, and just happened to offer to watch our dog when we went out of town.  Also, we bumped into friends of ours from California at the farmer’s market.  Turns out they bought a farm in nearby Comer, Georgia.  The world is feeling a little smaller, and Athens is feeling a little more like home. 

Finally, now that Safia is actually going to bed pretty consistently at 6:30, I feel a lot more confident about getting a babysitter.  So last night, Rube had a show in Athens, so I decided to go.  It was so nice to be out and about without a baby in tow, catching up with people and feeling a little more like myself, whoever that may be these days!  Thanks Michelle!

As the weather’s gotten cooler here, and Safia continues to grow like a weed, it was time once again to change over her wardrobe.  Sometimes I feel like I’m playing dress-up with a doll, but the results are so much cuter!  Below is a sampling of my favorites.