little cheek

this little guy turned 9 months old today[where is the slow button?]

i was out with him the other day, just hanging out with some other people, and when i got home all i could think was i am so exhausted! now i have to say the people i was with are rather emotionally draining, but then there's the fact that i have jude. i never used to be so tired before! 

i've been finding that i have to pace myself more. i do love getting out and about, but it's either the mall or outlets, or a 2 stop maximum[car seats and the whole unloading and re-loading, dang]. honestly i still haven't been too impressed with any of the 'lug your baby around' equipment out there, there's just nothing quite like my own arms[though they do get tired]. 

the real kicker is when we're out with other people though. if it's just me and him, we're golden. add other people into the mix, i'm wiped and so is he. i think people just try so hard to get babies to like them, which ends up just frightening my kid, which makes me have to constantly sooth him, which just wears us out. not to mention constantly being approached by strangers who want to chat. a few months ago i decided to go to a bigger mall with him, and i treated myself to sushi. just as i was finally seated[the food court was so crowded] this older woman walks by and stops to comment how cute jude is. used to this, i say thank you and start to try to eat, while the lady decides to bestow some "age-old' wisdom. i am hungry, and my usually squirmy baby is actually behaving, and she keeps rambling. so i smile and nod, hinting with my chopsticks that i'd like to eat, and she still talks. she said that 'she'd better be moving on' several time, but no, she keeps going on. all the while i get more hungry, jude gets more squirmy, and i become increasingly irritated. especially over the fact that i am stuck sitting there, and this woman is not that old[i'm a nurse, and work with many elderly patients, so i know the difference between older and old]. she eventually moved on, by which time my sushi lost it's appeal, and i was thoroughly peeved. apparently being pregnant/having a baby= people can do anything/say anything to you. 

enough on that. i am trying to work on being more flexible, but i must say, being a momma stretches and grows one's patience in more ways than i could ever have imagined or considered. so many books on self-improvement out there, just have a kid and try to be a good parent- that will whip you into shape, on the double[if you're trying, that is] this is in no way an endorsement for people to just go and have a kid!