girls gone tame

When lovely hubby and I were married just about a year and a half, I discovered I was pregnant with a little blob that would eventually develop into JAM, our firstborn who had the joy of being an only child for almost six full years. What a life that was-- equal parts good and bad... all the attention of the parents in his court, but also no siblings to buffer the constant supervision. Once we were confident that it was theoretically possible to create a baby who was easy-going and didn't cry 39 hours a day, we took the plunge and tried for another baby. Lo and behold, Red came along and we thought we were complete. I envisioned her having a somewhat similar baby- and toddler-hood as JAM, since he was so much older while she got to be the only baby. HA. A short 18 months later, Pudge joined our ranks, and Red's days of being in the spotlight were long gone.

I think often about how different it is for Red and Pudge growing up than how JAM experienced his early years. I am realizing that once again, this scenario has it's positives and negatives. One way that came to me the other day was that I couldn't really remember any specific special, fun experience that Red and I had solo during her short stint as the only baby. Figuring that she was only 18 months old when Pudge went from being attached to an umbilical cord to being attached to my hip, there weren't many things that we did together out and about. She was still a bit young for big playground play, and I was working three days a week through that time, so our one-on-one time was somewhat limited to hanging out and playing at home.

Along came last weekend, when I had the perfect opportunity to reconnect with a friend from olde (as in the olden days, not insinuating in any way that she or I are even close to being old!). Since her hubby and son were out of town, she'd be flying solo with her three-year-old daughter. This led to me calling upon lovely hubby to hang with the boys, while Red and I had our first official Mommy/Red Girls' Day. She's really starting to get into the whole categorizing thing that kids do, so she often talks about how we are the only girls (or ladies, as she often says) in our family, while the others are 'the boys,' so it was really just perfect. A leisurely metro ride with only a small stroller (which served the function of holding my bag and our lunches, seeing as someone I know had absolutely no desire of sitting down ever), and we arrived at The National Museum of Natural History-- a part of the incredible Smithsonian Institution's great museums.

And what a girls' day it was. Fun times were had by all, and other than one little freak out over my lack of foresight when it came to packing cheese in our lunches, it was all so... calm. Really. In a packed museum, with two three-year-old girls, my hysterically funny friend and I were able to chat it up, check out some cool things in the museum with the kids, people watch, and laugh it up. The girls eventually warmed to each other, and they were most fascinated with a view from a small 2nd story balcony, giggling and dancing around while we chatted some more.

All in all, I was so pleased by the entire day. I was reminded of how a true friend is measured-- you can go years without seeing each other, and within minutes of getting back together, you're laughing and talking about subjects that could only be discussed between people you're truly comfortable with. I was also pleasantly surprised at how Red became so agreeable and friendly and fun and relaxed when she had my full attention. No having to hear, "Wait a minute while I change Pudge's diaper," or "Mommy's helping JAM right now, I can't read to you right now." Just a day to be an only child. I think they all need more of those every once in a while.


Looking forward to more girls' (and Mommy/son!) days,