This last weekend

Things change so much when you become a parent. It's unexplainable unless you become one. When my friend M had her first daughter over 7 years ago, I didn't quite understand why we didn't speak so much, see each other as much...something was so different. I was living in my own world of "me" of course, and I often felt like she had no time for me and didn't care about our friendship anymore. My own little world didn't involve me even thinking she had this little one that was her priority, and shame on me for ever thinking this way. The fact is, things change. You either have to accept things the way they are and make it work, or just let it go. I realize now that I should have been there for her more, helped her more and just make myself a part of her new life. I never wanted to lose that friendship, and thankfully, I haven't...but, I think I should have made things work better.

Now that I have children of my own, I can understand better what she was going through. There's no time for anything anymore, and family is the priority (most of the time, that is). Lately, J and I have been feeling left out of things - things that our friends with no kids do. We are not free to just get up and go anymore. We think that when the girls are a little older, it will be a little easier to have someone watch them for us. But, for now, it's a little hard to do what we want. And I feel that people just don't understand the situation...it's not that we don't want to do things, it's just that it is hard and that, please understand, I may have to stop a conversation to run after my child or change a poopie diaper or something else. But, please, let's just continue the conversation when all is well with the world again (i.e. - have captured running daughter, diaper is now refreshed, etc.) like nothing interrupted it.

So, this last weekend, we had the pleasure (not exactly sure if this is the right term) of being invited to 2 birthday parties. Let me clarify - these were for kids. Bea had the best time. Of course, she loves other kids and playing with them, so it was just her scene. And, as for Josh and I, well it was quite nice in spite of not really knowing anyone. We made friends quickly with others because we had something in common...children. And, I really had to laugh because there were so many interruptions of parents having to run after their little ones. It was actually the first place I felt comfortable in a while and didn't have to worry what other people thought because they just understood.

Sidenote: I found the power cord that had mysteriously disappeared (thought Bea had possibly thrown it in the garbage), so the digital cam is up and working again and I will be posting more pictures soon.