By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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Towards the end of my pregnancy, our friends kindly asked what they could do to help us out after baby arrived. A common gift is a meal train to help with food during the first few weeks postpartum. Although this is a wonderful gift for new parents, food wasn't a top concern of ours.
We were more worried about how I would rest and recover with a toddler at home. Our son was used to spending a lot of time playing with me and running around with his friends. We didn't know what he would think about me spending a lot of time napping and tending to baby. And we knew that he probably wouldn't be able to see his friends quite as often.
My husband and I spent some time brainstorming ways to make the first few weeks postpartum as enjoyable as possible for all of us. While I rested and recovered, we wanted our son to have lots of opportunities to run, jump, and play while also getting lots of much needed attention.
I was thrilled when one of our friends came up with a solution and organized a babysitting gift for our family. Rather than drop off meals, our friends and their child(ren) each come over for a play date or two with our son while I take care of baby, nap, or just relax. We love these play dates! Our son gets to see his friends, use up his toddler energy, and also gets to play with a reenergized mommy after my break. I enjoy seeing our friends again and having a chance to chat with them after lots of time spent with little ones.
What gifts did you most appreciate as a new parent?
