The Mom's Group

Today I stepped out of my comfort zone, woke up my sleeping daughter (this in a house where sleep has been sparse in the last week or so), braved the cold and rain, and trekked it to Lewisville for a babies play date through Meet-Up.  Now, I do not like feeling awkward- I don't even like to watch  movies with awkward scenes (I leave the room),  so it came as no surprise to me that husband called twice to make sure I was "still going" this morning. We were supposed to be attending the play date with a duo we actually know, but Caden got a cough at the last minute and thus Mia and I were left to a lonely Meet-Up demise... thanks Stacy.  Getting there was fine, yes- I called my husband lost, yes- I was late, and yes- I realized half way there that I was starving and hadn't brought a snack- but I had Mia and the diaper bag which adds enough points to the tally to outweigh all the other negatives.  We arrive and it's well... awkward.  We leave our shoes at the door (b/c that is what you do when you have a baby playgroup...) and proceed through a child gate that I can't work- I make some lame joke about not being in the stage for baby gates yet and hope nobody in the room goes to my gym where, I used the same joke the day before. The usual questions follow... "how old is your baby" "when did you move here" "where do you live" "is she sleeping through the night"  with a lot of... "oh look how cute she/he is" thrown in when the conversation begins to lull.  That's what I have learned about babies.. you can always fall back on them, all of the sudden looking down is suddenly acceptable because you have something to look at or you at least have something you can pretend you are looking at.  Mia does great- she plays on her back like a champ and doesn't even seem to flinch when the tumbling one year old who learned to walk YESTERDAY teeters towards her.  My brain is telling my face to maintain a composed look as the cute but wobbly not so little one dives towards Mia.  Not that Mia couldn't have taken this baby- in fact, there wasn't a baby in the room Mia couldn't have taken out if she had needed to go Jack Bauer on the group.  She is huge, and this of course is yet another topic of conversation.   "Oh my, she is a big one, isn't she..."  "Yes, yes," I say... "she likes to eat like her mom"... which is also a back pocket joke I keep on me at all times.  We sit this way, saying these things for almost two hours when the first baby starts to get fussy... a few of the moms seem to recognize this as their way out and so most of us begin to pack up our things  The mom's who were not worried about what others think load their babies into their car seats... but not us.  I had noticed the two people in front of me carrying their kids in, so our car seat is in the car and it is now sprinkling.  We say our farewells and get to the car, where I quickly load up my daughter.  Who, by this time, I am beginning to worry about, since she does not smile as  much as the other babies.  My mind is going a hundred miles a minute... load up Mia, don't forget the seat belt, I wonder if something is wrong with her, I'm hungry, oh my gosh could it be autism.....I start the car and then it happens- I back into the car behind me.  Nice, what a great way to end our fabulous play date.  Did I mention I woke Mia up so we could go to this? We drive to the front of the house where I leave Mia in the car and proceed to tell my favorite of the women at the group that I did indeed hit the only car she and her husband own.  Never fear he can walk to work from their downtown loft... guess she and the baby will just stay in from now on.   It's actually not that bad and I don't even see a scratch but I still hit it and am forced into the most beyond awkward scenario ever... what do I say at the next play group... "Remember, I'm Kelley, we met last time... when I hit your car."  Mia and I make it home where I make a run by the kitchen on my way up to feed the baby.  When you hit a car, your first action point should naturally be finding some cookies to make you feel better.  Sorry John, the cookies are gone.  The good news?  I got her number so I will have it when she calls me with the damage... I wonder if she wants to do lunch?