Today Will and I went to meet the moms (this is what I call my new group of mom friends that I have been slowly collecting) on College Ave at Ashby in Berkeley at Roma Cafe for some mommy bonding time. Will got hungry so we fed in the cafe. The other moms fed their wee ones too. Amy, one of my mom friends, noticed that the men that worked at the cafe (counter service) seemed uncomfortable with us weilding our breasts and feeding our babes. I usually worry about this kind of thing but today I didn’t and I felt good about that.
On the way out the door I tried to make eye contact with one of the men and give a sincere thank you. You know, thank you for your hospitality sort of thing. But he broke eye contact before I could move my lips. Oh well.
I got us all packed up in the car and was ready to take us to Trader Joes to do a quick shopping trip. We took off and made it 2 blocks before I gave in to his cries and pulled over to make sure all was well with Will. Just sometimes you have a feeling about these things. I wasn’t in a hurry after all and, I am his mom, his caretaker. Newborns ask for only what they need. So, I pulled over to see what he needed and I could tell that feeding was the first thing to try. Yes, he was hungry. I checked his diaper while I fed him. Only pee. I decided to wait to change him. While we fed I took in the scenery. I had parked in front of the Berekely Claremont Library. Nice building. Beautiful street. Wonderful neighborhood.
Done with the feeding we proceeded down College Ave so I could see what else there was on the street. Lots of interesting places, that’s what. On my way to TJs in Emeryville we came upon the Oakland Tjs just passed the Berkeley Border. Ok. Let’s go there. So (after a side trip to the natural pharmacy next door to TJs) we did our grocery shopping. Will got hungry AGAIN. This time he cried even more loudly that it made me think something was hurting him. I pulled him out of the buggy. He was rooting. Hungry baby. Mama feed.
I pulled out his little blankie, threw it over my shoulder and pulled out my breast. Lets feed. So what if we are at TJs. My baby is hungry. So I walked around, pushing his stroller with one hand while holding baby in my other all the while feeding and shopping (and trying to make sure my boob didn’t pop out and frighten anyone). Oh Will, you little feeder. You just fed and fed away. This made my shopping go slower. I had misplaced my short list and had a hard time recalling what was on it. I already have “mommy brain” but add to that the distraction of trying to navigate foreign waters while feeding the little man, and oh my I am surprised that I remembered 4 out of 5 items. I did come away with some things that were not on the list as well.
Well, this concludes my reporting of today’s adventures. My brain has gone to bed so my fingers must follow.