I'm baaaaack! Kind of.

Now that Zachary is over six weeks old, I am slowly reintegrating into society -- albeit with a newborn infant attached to me at all times. It's still a little intimidating, but we're taking it one day and one event at a time. It's going well so far!

Last week, we had a full calendar (at least, compared to the last six weeks)! We went shopping at U Village with Margaret, as well as at Northgate Mall and downtown with Chris. We also went to dinner at Ben and Carrie's, attended my team holiday gathering (I know, I know...I'm supposed to be on maternity leave) and the neighborhood block holiday potluck. I've also been taking walks with Zachary in the Ergo and Cowboy tied around my waist. When I do that, I feel like I just need to carry a cup of Starbucks coffee to complete the "Seattle mom" picture...

All of our trips have gone relatively smoothly -- even the nursing! At U Village, Margaret and I found a secluded chair at Barnes & Noble. I admit I felt a bit awkward, but it worked. While shopping with Chris, I stopped at the Nordstrom lounge to nurse, which was really nice. Not only was it private, but there were several other nursing mothers there as well.

I had no idea that it was going to be this intimidating to get out and about with a baby! It's one of those things I never thought about before, and I know it will get easier. But I do keep having little "ah-hah" moments...like the fact that babies aren't allowed in bars and aren't welcome at fancy restaurants. I guess that should be obvious, but I tend to think that as long as he's in my carrier, I can go anywhere with him!

I've added some pictures from this past week's excursions to flickr (and the slide show above).

Pictures: December 2007