With every life-changing event, I am again reminded of my true friends. Having a baby has reduced my number of friends, but it has also strengthened and changed existing friendships, as well as encouraged new ones to blossom. I thank all of my friends, old and new, for bearing with the new me.
-Thank you for still coming to visit us, even when we were both sleep-deprived, unshowered, and shockingly boring, and our baby was either sleeping, crying, pooping, or eating.
-Thank you for working with our crazy baby eating/sleeping schedules. 7am works for you, too? You’re bringing coffee? Great!
-Thank you for letting me text and email you in the wee hours of the morning, and then responding as soon as you can so that I have something to read while nursing at 4 in the morning.
-Thank you for telling me that I “look great” and that I “lost all the baby weight.” I know it’s not true. I know my roots have 9+ months of growth, my hair hasn’t been washed consistently for weeks, I don’t remember the last time I shaved, and my tummy still looks like I’m 5 months pregnant, but thank you for pretending not to notice any of that.
-Thank you for repeatedly telling me how cute and wonderful my baby is. He is the world to us, and it means the world to us that you think so, too.
-Thank you for dealing with my tears. I thought wine-induced tears were annoying, but they have nothing on post-pregnancy, sleep-deprived hormones.
-Thank you for asking about our child, despite the fact that you know you run the risk of a 10-minute monologue on the most recent achievement he has made.
-Thank you for not giving advice (unless I ask for it). We have been hounded with unsolicited advice since before our child was even born, and while some of it has been immensely helpful, most of it just makes us feel stressed, unworthy, and judged.
-Thank you for coming over to play…with our baby. We know he won’t remember your visits at this stage, but there is nothing more fulfilling that watching the people you love interact and smile at one another.
-Thank you for putting up with our “rules.” I know it’s inconvenient to take off your shoes, keep your voice lowered, use the laundry bathroom, and enter/exit through the garage, but thank you for acting like this is the normal state of affairs everywhere else.
-Thank you for watching out for my baby. He just ate dirt? Again? He’s yanking on electrical plugs? Thanks for letting me know (and not judging me for missing it in the first place).
-Thank you for getting me out of the house. It may have taken me six months to get there, but thanks for patiently waiting for me.
-Thank you for making my child’s birthday a big deal. I know hanging with a bunch of screaming/crying/squealing toddlers (sans alcohol) isn’t the ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but thank you for pretending you had the time of your life.
-Thank you for entertaining me. My life now revolves around a tiny human being, so I have little of interest to share with the rest of the world, so thank you for bringing gossip and news to the table.
-Thank you for loving me, flaws and all. Having a child stripped me down to the core. Maybe it’s because I don’t have the stamina to keep up with societal niceties, or maybe it’s because I’ve forgotten how to carry on an adult conversation, but thanks for not only putting up with me, but making me feel a little more normal.
