Katy Rank Lev

When I was pregnant with Miles, a friend turned me on to the blog Rookiemoms.com. I love this site. Like, everything about it. One of their coolest things is a list of 52 weekly challenges for new moms to do with their baby. Did I actively participate once I had Miles? Felix? No. I did not. I did read the challenges and think they were awesome, though. I’m the sort of person who gets bogged down in baby stuff and doesn’t leave the house unless I have specific instructions. These gals give instructions!

So now, my most-likely-last-ever-baby is 6 months old. (I know. !!!!!!) And I’m running out of time to do rookie mom challenges. Baby ones, anyway. I thought I’d check the list to see if there were any that I inadvertently achieved in his 26 weeks of life.

1.  Our first challenge is Activity #226: Pretend you’re in Europe.—Sort of! We all went out to Coca Café for my birthday breakfast when Felix was only 9 days old. I was still on Vicodin, so I don’t remember it much.
2. Grab your spy hat and a buddy to (Activity #9) Go on a recon mission. –Well…I already know about lots of these places because I already had a kid. I can tell you that I only recently put wipes and spare diapers in my own car, making it baby friendly!
3. Join or start a new mom’s group. –I’m in a fabulous, wonderful moms group. But then, I already was…
4. Visit a fabric store with your sidekick. –We went to Creative Reuse to find materials for our Halloween costumes, and they sell fabric!
5. Go to the grocery store for just one thing. You know, for practice! –Felix is actually a great partner for going to the grocery store for lots of things.
6. Paint your baby’s feet for posterity. –I have never done this.
7. Take a postnatal yoga class, with your baby.—I did this and Felix loved it! He loved it so much. I wish I could have done it more but with Miles around, the logistics were too crazy.
8. Get a pedicure. –I have not done this. I should do this!
9. Go to a mom and baby movie, where crying is allowed. –I have not done this. This frightens me and, at 6 months, I think Felix is now too big anyway.
10. Plan a mom’s night out for yourself and some friends. –I didn’t plan it, but my friend did and I went to one at happy hour time. Some day, darn it, I’ll make it out to the post-bedtime version.
11. Visit a friend or spouse at work.—We did not do this, but then Corey was able to work from home until Felix was about 4 months old! So every time I went downstairs, I was visiting him at work.
12. Enjoy modern art with your sidekick.—Have not done this. But, next week, while Miles is in school, maybe I will!
13. Make a Modern Family photo.—Have not done this. Not sure if I care to.
14. Start your own breakfast club.—I have not started a breakfast club, but I like this idea.
15. Leave your neighborhood.—This we do a lot.
16. Walk into nature.—This we also do a lot.
17. Become a cruise director.—I haven’t done this per se, but I am hosting a Martinmas meetup with my moms group and I really look forward to that.
18. Check out the library.—This we do a lot. And it always goes badly…Miles usually flips the eff out at the library.
19. Invite someone dangerous over for tea.—I need to do this. I haven’t yet, but if you read this blog at all you know I went to coffee with Penny Simkin, so…
20. Visit a farmers’ market. –I did this! I went to the farmer’s market with both kids (in a thunderstorm) to pick up one eighth of a cow. And I didn’t remember to bring the wagon, so I had to haul it all to the car myself. And I did it in one trip, suckahs! I had kids and bags and meat hanging off my body. It was insane.
21. Talk about something besides sleep.—I would like to set an intention to not talk about sleep at all the next time I hang out with a mom friend. So, if you’re my mom friend and we’re hanging out soon, don’t let me talk about sleep!
22. Play in another kind of nursery. Yep, the one with baby plants!—Done! I’m a wee bit sad our Phipps membership expired October 31, but not sad enough to renew it quite yet.
23. Build muscles at bootcamp.—I really need to do something like this. I feel like a broken record the way I talk about but never attack my lack of physical fitness. Not to break the rules for number 21, but I tell myself that I can’t worry about working out when I’m getting less than 5 total hours of sleep per night…
24. Be a tourist in your own town.—I think we do a lot of touristy things with the kids, but there is a Pittsburgh bucket list I’m working on. Maybe one day while Miles is in school, Felix and I can head to Prantl’s for a burnt almond tart.
25. Host an ugly baby (clothes) contest.—this is a fun idea! I sort of love it! Again, something to do while Miles is in school!
26. Count your steps.—I should totally do this. It will at least make me feel better about number 23.

So, to recap, I’m still aiming to:

• Paint Felix’s feet (Christmas craft?)
• Get a pedicure with him in tow (see what I did there?)
• Have a breakfast club (maybe even just one time…I guess that’s like hosting brunch)
• Check out some art
• Talk about something besides sleep
• Go to baby boot camp
• Go to Prantl’s
• Have an ugly baby clothes contest
• Get a pedometer

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