Validation

I'm back in Texas.

My good friend from Japan, Thanet, picked me up at the airport last night and took me to her mother-in-law's house for some pampering...chicken salad sandwiches and pumpkin crisp.

Thanet has a baby boy who is five weeks older than Carolyn.

He's a doll.

Our approaches to motherhood are so different, it's a wonder we're even friends.

She's the Bohemian mother: mid-wife having, home birth doing, breast feeding, co-sleeping, cloth diaper using mother.  The leader of the Beaumont La Leche League would approve.

I, on the other hand, am the queen of convenience:  epidural having, disposable diaper using, put-that-baby-on-a-schedule-already, bottle feeding mother.  Although, to be fair, the bottle feeding wasn't my idea and whomever said it was more convenient couldn't be more wrong.  I mean, good grief, traveling while washing bottles, boiling water, and measuring out formula couldn't be any more of a hassle.

However, despite these differences we are so alike it's not even funny.

Watching her interact with her baby was such a treat.

For me it was calming.

Educational.

Validating.

I couldn't help but giggle a little inside when she kept asking her baby if he was hungry because it was time for him to eat, but he wasn't so interested.

And I was almost gleeful when she couldn't figure out whether or not his disposable diaper (which she was using because they were traveling as well...don't worry, they're like dye and fragrance free and biodegradable in less than 20 minutes) was wet and needed to be changed.

Oh, and don't even get me started when she thought she saw blood in his spit up (that sounds bad, but you know what I mean).

She said several times, "Ok, baby, you know I'm a first time mother and I will freak out."

Ahhhhh.....

It made me feel so good.

I'm just so relieved to know I'm not the only one who feels and/or acts that way.

Cheers, Pet.