I wrote this for another venue.  And of course, it is on the I’m-the-old-mother-passing-down-wisdom side of things, but it is in my heart tonight.

Dear Mommies,

It is okay.   I’m not saying that it will be okay.  I’m saying that it is okay.  You’re the Mommy.  Baby is the baby.  Sometimes we don’t know what to do.  Sometimes we think we have all the answers.   It’s like being a teenager, again!  Never the less, there are two truths I want to share today, especially to the new Mommy.

1.        You are the Mommy.  Trust your instincts.

2.       Babies are resilient.  It’s okay.

I know that you’ve heard it before; but it bears repeating here.  Trust your instincts. In our North American society, we are trained and positioned to ignore our very basic instincts.  When we feel afraid of the dark parkade, we think we are being silly.  When there’s an uncomfortable tension between two friends, we think it must be us.  The point is that we have ignored our instincts for so long, that this may be an acquired skill.  Take this quick self-check.

Self-check: Are you hungry?  Are your clothes feeling soft or scratchy?  Are you feeling cool or warm right now?

Stay in tune with yourself.  And it will be much easier to stay in tune with your baby.

It is important to note here, that there are barriers to bonding with your new baby; a difficult birth, a complicated pregnancy, a significant life event.  All these things will affect the speed and strength of your bond.  And did you notice?  They are out of your control. It is okay.  You will bond.  Children love their parents.  And I believe that you love your baby.  And nothing can change that.  You don’t have to feel like it.  And it is okay. You will protect and care for your little bundle (of tears or regret) and it will be okay.  You will bond.  You will rise to the occasion.  And baby will be fine.  I know it.

Did you know that in some cultures after childbirth, the Mother isn’t to leave her bed for 41 days?  Not to shower, not to walk, nothing.  It is a big deal, this birthing thing.   Just because our culture doesn’t recognize it, doesn’t mean that it isn’t.  Period.  Childbirth is a big deal. And Mommy, you need to take care of yourself post-partum.  This is not one of those niceties:  if only my Mom lived closer.  No!  This is serious.  Your body knows it.  You know it.  I know it.  All of the Mommy Club members know this.  So please, dear Mommy, take care of yourself!

Megan with a piece of Styrofoam that became her “vacuum”.
Apparently, it doesn’t work so well.

And would y’all just take a moment to email my hubby about the NEED that I have for one of those drawing tablets.  The mouse just isn’t cutting it.

Here’s my brilliant lecture from this morning.

“Emma, it’s okay to be mad, but you can’t do bad things.  Like -”

“Like kill your mommy?”

Yeah, that would qualify, sweetheart.

It was a shocker last night, man! My hubby decided that we should eat healthier (I’m in full agreement) so I asked him to pick up a few things.  Like milk and eggs.  He brought home salad ingredients too. Check out this list!

• raw mixed nuts
• green seedless grapes
• raspberry vinaigrette
• huge container of fresh, washed, and torn mixed lettuces
• bell peppers: red, green, orange
• fresh skinless, boneless chicken breast
• feta cheese

Hello!?!?  Can you say yummy?  Truly. Y U M M Y.

It has turned hot here.  So hot that when I take the cheese out of the fridge to shred some, it starts melting.  That must be at least a kazillion°F.  We have a fan blowing directly on the poor soul who ends up cooking dinner.  And I owe my left kidney to my in-laws who bought us an air conditioner!  The girls’ room has one already.  Because being on the third floor of a three-story building is just plain hot in the summer time.  It was heaven last night to climb into bed where it was cool!

So today I feel inspired to create a sandwhich/ light menu for the week.  We need heat-free options around here.  And we’re are getting pretty darn sick tired of McDonalds.

So you can check out some gluten free light options at Strawberries are gluten free .com.

Doodle by Lee. The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.