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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Earlier this fall one of our good friends from the East Coast was in San Francisco for business. We were excited to see her and to catch up. She is a mother of two young kids herself, so she understood that the evening might be a little chaotic with a one month old and a toddler to tend to. This was the first time we would be entertaining with two kids, so we weren't sure exactly what to expect.
We ended up having a great time. It wasn't the perfect dinner - we ordered take-out. And our son was much more interested in his toys than in eating any food. But we had an opportunity to chat with our friend and she had a chance to meet the newest member of our family.
Now that we are in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I'm glad we already have a handful of brunches and dinners under our belts. We now have a little better grasp of tricks to help the meal run smoothly. And can focus more on relaxing, celebrating and enjoying this time together.
Over Thanksgiving we were extremely grateful to spend dinner with relatives who knew how to jump in and help us manage two kids. They went above and beyond what we could ever have expected. Our daughter was happily passed around the dining room table after dinner and our son was busily occupied with an abundance of trucks, cars and trains. We were able to relax and enjoy the company, the conversation, and the food.
When you have a newborn, your life changes drastically. And it can be difficult to figure out exactly when to add events back in from your old life. Holidays, business trips and other situations can force you to tackle these events sooner than you had hoped or planned. Although we have had a few hiccups along the way, we've navigated dinners, play dates, parks, trick-or-treating, a couple of trips up to San Francisco, and casual restaurants with two kids.
Being a second time mom, it's comforting to know that over time I'll keep adding the important things back into my life again. And with great friends and relatives we will not only make it through this holiday season but we can celebrate, relax a bit and enjoy it too.
