Big changes and a big belly

First, the big belly: Thomas, my little Buddha, weighed in at 13 pounds 9 ounces, in the 90th percentile for his age. Of course, he's only 22 3/4 inches tall, in the 50th percentile. What a little porker! I know I need to get some photos soon. I've been taking them, but not downloading them. Next week I'll have a bit of a break- I won't be working at any jobs, so I will get some posted.

Today is my last day at the Journal. For nine years, it was my job, but it was also the place where I made my friends, and learned how to work in the real world. I'm 100 percent sure that I made the right decision to leave. Economic times are tough, and this is a great opportunity. But I'm going to miss it a lot. I won't miss the office junk, or the work environment, but I'm definitely going to miss the job.

This week was also my last week at playgroup. Every Wednesday, I meet with some other moms and kids at the Bannock Youth Foundation. They have activities for the kids and parents together, and then the parents leave the room and talk about whatever issues have come up in their lives. The group was splitting into other groups anyway because of funding issues, but I had to leave for my new job as well. I looked forward to seeing these women and kids every Wednesday. I'm going to miss that a lot.

It seems like a lot is said about the isolation of stay-at-home moms, and it's true. They need things like playgroups for adult interaction that working moms get at work. But there isn't much said about the working mom and her need for peers. I will be the only person in my new office hauling a breastpump to work and locking myself up three times a day to attach a hose to my breast and milk myself like a cow. I was the only one at the Journal when I pumped for Anne Marie. I will be the only one feeling the guilt that comes with leaving your baby each day. It would be nice to have other working mothers to talk to about things. The problem is, working mothers come home, and they need to spend time with the little ones they've been missing all day. I don't know what would help, but it would be nice if there was something that would.

I'm rambling, but I have a brighter note to end on. I think I must be the luckiest woman alive when it comes to grocery shopping. Twice in a row, others have saved me from my poor timing. The first time was two weeks ago. It was 4 p.m. and Thomas was wonderful for the trip, until I started bagging my groceries. Then he started screaming.

Now, once you get to the bagging point, it's tough to do anything about your screaming baby. So I just hurried. The woman behind me picked up Thomas's carrier out of my cart and started swaying. He immediately calmed down. I thanked her, and she told me it was a "grandma's touch."

The next week, the same thing happened, only this time he got fussy before I started bagging. He calmed down when I held him, so I started bagging groceries one-handed. A woman came up to me and asked if she could hold my baby so I could bag the groceries. I gave her Thomas, and she cuddled him for a minute or two so I could finish. I told her she made my week, and she really did. She said she understood- she'd been there before. Those women were so wonderful!