I did it - I have braved my first baby and toddler morning in the village. I woke up with a weird feeling this morning until I remembered what I was about to embark on. Now, I used to be quite a responsible/organised person regularly take hundreds of total strangers to foreign lands after only just briefly introducing myself to them at airports but never the less I was nervous about walking into a room of mothers and children this morning.
It was freezing but in my bid to get a bit fitter (e.g. not getting out of breath running up and down the stairs) I walked to the village hall. It was bitter and as my nose runs at the slightest drop in temperature and I have another cold (ta Gorgeous Girl!) it was streaming. Disgusting, sorry, but trying to create a cool and composed aura whilst constantly and noisily blowing my bright red honk, barking like a 50 cigs a dayer and my hair all frizzed from the drizzly wind was not the "Ooooh she looks nice I want to be friends with her" entrance I was after. I'd even taken time over my outfit, aiming for trendy but not too trendy and approachable but not too mumsy and had asked Husband what he thought Beautiful Boy should wear for his 'debut' appearance (he humoured me). But after triple checking the sign to say I'd come to the right place and wasn't about to walk into to a private childrens birthday party or AA meeting or something I took a deep breath (literally) and went in........
......And BB was fast asleep in his pram. I thought he'd been a bit quiet but we've recently taken to letting him view outwards in the pram and in my selfish state forgot that this was actually about making him some friends and that it would be beneficial if he was actually awake and able to interact! Arriving at a mother and baby group with kind of no baby to pretend to talk to or show off or help you make conversations with is a bit awkward to say the least.
I fussed around my pram for a bit, taking off my layers, blowing my nose and trying to plan where to sit when I luckily recognised one person there who has also moved here and she introduced to the 'leader' and I got a coffee. I then met a great mum who has got 22 month old triplets and a 7 year old. It made me feel a bit guilty that I'd come with GG at nursery and only a sleeping 10 month old to look after! Luckily BB woke up after a while (I hadn't prodded him honest) and he happily crawled about, got bashed on the nose by a big girl with a wooden cot and ate a few crumbs off the floor before he got his own biscuit and had a lovely sing song at the end - he seemed to love every second.
It was fab and I feel a bit proud of myself silly as that seems even to myself and I can't wait for next week, I will probably work out our outfits the night before again though and if it's cold I might drive.....
