Rookie Moms

When we have new babies in our lives, it’s easy to go into a self-imposed exile or quarantine, reading only sleep habits books and looking only at the baby. Of course, Whitney and I think that mama needs to leave the house and thus this site was born.

I read the story of how Vicky took her 6 week old daughter, Caitlin, to a bachelorette party at a casino and nodded with recognition (I flew from SFO to Chicago to attend one of my bff’s weddings when Holden was 3 weeks old, so I’m a little crazy). Her amazingly supportive husband, Dave, hung out with the bambino in one of the party rooms so that Vicky could go back and forth between the party and the breastfeeding.

Oh yeah, I would have done that. Maybe it’s awesome, or maybe it’s terrible, but if you don’t even try to go to your best friend’s party, won’t you always wish you did?

Read the logistics and details at SecretMomThoughts post “adventures.” Next time, Vicky, take a picture of you being all wild and not just baby and daddy hanging out.

What are some of the crazy places y’all have taken your infants? Any pregnant mamas with grandiose plans?

Related post: Play poker with your baby

Misty’s found a way for her baby to enjoy some summertime water fun: Fill baby’s high chair tray with water for warm weather splashing!

I love this activity for hot, housebound babies everywhere (especially those of us jailed by an older napping child).

Baby Madeline’s high chair has a very deep lip, enough to hold about half an inch of water. Misty filled that with tap water, stripped her down, and let her splash around as she wants. It is amusing to see her reaction when she splashes herself, and her obvious enjoyment of the new experience.

[This fun trick discovered on ParentHacks]

When we look back in 25 years, we will marvel that our babies have become adults who drive cars and earn their own paychecks. (Here’s hoping!)

You probably have a baby book to track your bambino’s progress through the first year: sitting up, crawling, first tooth, and so on.

But how will you remember your rookie year? After all, it’s filled with important experiences that will one day make you a veteran mom, capable of coaching soccer, chaperoning school dances, and sending annoying e-mail reminders about unwritten thank-you notes.

Trust us: One day you’ll look back on the early days of motherhood and it will be hard to remember them. We’ve given you this chart to remind you that Mommy’s first full night of sleep is at least as important as baby’s first banana. These classic mama milestones are worth documenting: Rookie Moms Milestones [pdf]

[excerpted from The Rookie Mom’s Handbook by Quirk Books]

Most music classes for children provide a free trial class. Take advantage of these freebies before committing to a paid class. Try to talk your other mama friends into joining you so it’s the most fun for YOU.

• Kindermusik Village classes are for babies under 18 months and each class is 45 minutes long.
• Music Together is mixed age classes up to age five and the classes are an hour long.
• In Berkeley, Jingle Jamboree is for ages 6 mos to 15 mos.