Fresh Air and good friends

It was a rough night, the kind of nights that life-with-infant war stories are made of. Mind you we are 3 weeks in, so in addition to little sleep last night there is the cumulative effect and it's starting to take a toll. The high is waning and the under eye bags appear to be semi-permanent. Needless to say this morning was just as ugly. The infant was STILL awake, the toddler was ready to party and Joe and I wanted to die. Joe took the toddler to the market and I sulked in front of a cup of coffee when my phone started to buzz. Were we interested in a playdate? Not really, clearly I wasn't fit for interacting with other humans given my mood. Then my friend dropped the bomb, let her know as she was planning on going for a run. Wait! A run? Outdoors? Solo? She's also living the dream with an infant and a toddler. Well that changed my outlook. Joe came home and I was flying around the house. We were headed out, him for a game of 4 on 2 with 2 toddlers and 2 infants vs. 2 Dad's and me for a real run. Outside, with my garmin and old worn out sneaks. And what a run it was. Forget that our pace was so slow I'm not publishing it here. Forget that my pelvis and hips felt like jello or that I needed to walk twice. We were outside and alone. It was a taste of old life and just what I needed. Recently I read a blog about surviving the first 3 months with a baby and advice from different bloggers. My 2 cents is you need good friends. Really good friends. Friends like ours. Friends who continue to show up with food, wine, coffee, and cookies. Friends who turn a blind eye to the mess in my house or the fact that I've lived in the same pair of sweats for weeks. Friends who keep assuring us that it's ok and we are doing great. Friends who don't care when I roll up to their office at noon with both kids and keep us entertained for 90 minutes even though it's clear they have work to do. Friends who meet me at coffee shops and keep my toddler relatively quiet while I struggle with nursing or a diaper change. Friends who listen without judging when I'm stressed and feel like this was all a bad idea. Friends who come at dinner time and hold a fussy newborn while we both get a chance to shovel hot food into our mouths. Friends who get me outside for a run when it's 30 degrees and I've slept less than 4 hours. Most of them don't read this, but I'm grateful for all of you. Thanks. Ran 4.6 miles today