Surprise #136 of Becoming a Mom

Surprise #136 of becoming a mom: Catching up with friends on the phone has to become a planned event.

Unlike the pre-baby days, I can't just pick up the phone and call a friend at my leisure. I usually don't have enough time during her naps to accomplish all of my "To do" list and make a call that's not rushed (you know how long those conversations with a girl friend can go on for!). So when it comes to calling back friends, I usually do it when I am taking a long drive and I know there won't be any interruptions.

Before I go on, let me clarify what I mean by interruptions. By interruptions, I mean events that usually happen when I'm on the phone at home that would require me to get off the phone mid conversation. The normal interruptions would be things like the baby waking up from a nap and needing a bottle, a diaper explosion, or the baby deciding she wants to chew an electrical cord.

Yesterday, Aubrey and I were going to drive up and have lunch with my husband during his lunch break. My husband works an hour away, so I knew I had a good block of time to call back one of my friends, no interruptions.

So once I was on my way,I called my friend and told her I had plenty of time to talk. In my defense, I did warn her that if she heard what sounded like ear screeching music playing in the background, that was Aubrey. Sure enough, as soon as I drove onto the Jersey Turnpike, the music began.

Of course, my friend's initial response was, "Do you want me to let you go?" I explained that there was no reason for me to go unless the crying bothered her. You see, the baby had just been fed, her diaper had just been changed, her Orajel was on, and she had her favorite toys with her. If she was crying, it was because she knew Mommy was 3 feet away and not playing with her. So my response to my friend was, "My only option to get her to stop crying is to pull over on the Turnpike, take her out of carseat, and play with her. And that is not happening."

The truth is, when I am driving and Aubrey is crying it drives me CRAZY. I can't stand hearing her cry and not being able to help her. It breaks my heart and I get super tense and anxious about the situation. Talking with my friend today during Aubrey's episode helped me to stay sane.

And sure enough, as soon as we got to my husband's office and I pulled Aubrey out of her car seat, she was happy as can be, smiling and laughing. I was pretty drained after that car ride, and I was hoping after the long ride and lunch with Daddy that Aubrey would be drained too. While the phone call on the ride up was a nice distraction from the crying, I don't think I could have endured that for the whole ride home as well!

Luckily for me (and Aubrey!), she was passed out within one minute of leaving my husband's office. But just in case, I had my phone ready.