I’ve been meaning to write about this for awhile… the highs and lows of parenthood. I’m the first in my close group of friends to have a baby. Most of my friends aren’t even close. That has made things a little hard on us. Okay… a LOT hard. My friends are wonderful people–but they just don’t get it. They didn’t get how much support we needed when Ryan was first born. How much help we needed. And now–they don’t get that I’m still a 25-year-old girl who still loves her friends. Steve and I have the same group of friends… and we’re fairly often left out of group events now. Granted, many of them we probably couldn’t attend (like the 10pm decision to head to the bars or a friend’s house), but an invite anyway would be nice.….….. right? Or maybe I’m just thinking it would be nice to be able to go. (and to be fair, I don’t call them nearly as often as I should… like, ever… and of course my excuse is that I get too busy, but I know I should make time and I should try to make plans).

I work part-time and when I get home, I hang with Ryan. It’s awesome and I LOVE it, but adult contact wouldn’t hurt once in awhile. I need MOMMY FRIENDS! I have turned to my blog and twitter friends who have all been nothing but amazing and supportive and thank goodness for them. In the real world? My closest friends are currently my mom and my mother in law. And there is nothing wrong with that, I love them, it would just be nice to hang out again with 20-something girls… 20-something moms would be great too.

So it’s weird. Being a mom is THE.BEST.THING I have ever done. It’s just also the hardest. I always hated that interview question, “what has been your greatest life accomplishment so far?” I never knew what to say… no one thing stood out. Finishing my thesis and getting my masters degree? Sounds like a good answer. Maybe getting my BS degree… or traveling away from family and friends for 6 weeks in Australia… jumping from a plane as 12,000 feet? All okay answers. Any would suffice. But now? Hands down, without a doubt, the greatest accomplishment of my life is Ryan. I made him and I’m still growing him (with this magical thing called breastmilk). It’s a miracle and it’s in my hands and smiling at me everyday.

That is the high of being a parent. It by far beats any of the lows that come and go. And I am meeting new mommy friends–with my ICAN and La Leche League groups. I’m even reconnecting with some girls from my high school that just recently had babies. But I don’t want to lose my “old” friends, although it seems we drift apart. How did you deal with that??? Did you drift away from your friends that had no kids???

I finally wrote this post because of an email I got today from Parents Connect that said: “your childless friends don’t understand, you have no “mom friends” and baby’s not much of a conversationalist. If you’re feeling lonely, you’re not alone. Having a baby is amazing, but it’s also amazingly overwhelming and easy to feel like you’re the only one stuck under a pile of dirty diapers. Get in touch with some grownups who get it!” <— and that is sooooo true, I could have written it myself.

First, let me say that I’m AMAZED that in one day we’ve already raised $70 for Cora’s Story. You guys are incredible, seriously. I can’t wait to see the end result on May 30th! Maybe we can try for at least one donation every day?! Even if it’s just $1. We’ve gotten some great prizes donated already including: skin and makeup products (Sephora and BeautiControl), a gift card (Target), a Cushie Pushie, a gorgeous 8x10 flower print, Wix-and-stix, a Twitter for Business autographed book, Barefoot Books, various etsy shop items, etc. (and I’m still accepting more! Let me know if you’d like to donate something) and be sure to donate some money for a chance to win these awesome gifts!! Cora’s Story Fundraising Giveaway

Next… I got this in an email today from my mom and wanted to share it with all of you awesome moms too:

Before I was a mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn’t want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment,
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

I have written on here before about Cora’s Story. Cora was a precious 5 day old baby girl when she died while breastfeeding in her mother’s arms from an undetected Congenital Heart Defect (CHD). CHD is the #1 birth defect and I bet most of you have never heard of it before. We need to change that!! Cora’s parents, Kristine and Ben, are now saving lives by raising awareness and educating on CHD and a simple test you can do when your baby is born, a pulse oximetry. Having a baby or know someone who is?? Tell them to ask for a pulse ox 48 hours after birth!

As of April 7, 2010, Cora’s Story Inc. has officially become a non-profit organization. By donating to Cora’s Story you are helping save lives. This organization has three main themes that your donations will help develop (taken right from corasstory.org):

1. Cora’s Hopes and Dreams (Spells CHD, cool, huh?): Saving and improving lives through congenital heart defect awareness and education. We especially want to work with expecting parents and parents. Our goal is for no other parent to find out about CHD, the most common birth defect, from the coroner. And, of course, screening for CHD goes hand in hand with this and is close to our hearts. We’ll be keeping an eye one newborn screening research and developments.

2.Cora Cares: Working to help parents pay for their child’s funeral.Cora’s funeral home, Zwick and Jahn in Decatur, Indiana, donated their services. We want to both work with other funeral homes to follow suit and to raise funds for parents to pay for their child’s funeral. Funeral are expensive, as are children, having a funeral and having a child just don’t mix financially.

3. Cora’s Heart: Remember “Wear pink for Cora?” Well, don’t put away that pink! We’re going to make it a monthly routine and hopefully grow as we go. Cora made us so happy, and we want to pass on the love. On the 30th of the month, Cora was born on November, 30, we urge people tocommit an act of good in her name, and to wear pink to pass on her story. Through all of our acts of good and kindness, Cora’s love will multiply.

If you’d like any more information, have ideas on how to fundraise or have services you can offer, please email Kristine at kristine@corasstory.org. They’re trying to keep overhead costs low so anything you can offer will help tremendously!

There’s also a community forum you can join for more discussion: Cora’s Story Community
And you can read Cora’s Story here: Cora’s Story

**EDIT** After being posted for only 1 hour, we already have 1 donation and FOUR sponsors donating prizes! Including: $25 Target gift card, a hand-knit baby hat, a prayer child candle and a Cushie Pushie for breastfeeding moms! I’m sure there will be LOTS more on the way. AND… the first 10 people to donate money to Cora’s Story will get one of Cora’s very own adorable birth announcements made by Tiny Prints. Want a chance to win?! Please donate money (any amount!) to Cora’s Story (see below or at the top right sidebar). THANK YOU!

WANT TO HELP??? I’m hosting a fundraiser/giveaway!!! Here’s what I need from YOU:

1) Please contact me (erdickey at gmail dot com) if you have a prize you’d like to donate. It can be handmade or purchased. Everyone who donates money to Cora’s Story will be entered in drawings for every prize, so I hope to have lots of great gifts for them!! What do you get out of it? First of all, doing something incredibly good and generous… but also, publicity. I’ll post about you and your gift for all to see! (I get about 18,000+ pageviews a month so that’s a lot of publicity for you!)

2) Please DONATE! 100% of what is raised here will go to Cora’s Story Inc to help save lives. You’ll get 1 “ticket” for every dollar you donate. So donate $10 and get 10 entries, $20 and get 20 entries, etc! I am certain there will be lots of amazing prizes so the more entries you get, the better your chances No amount is too small and any amount is greatly appreciated!

Click below to donate securely through paypal. If you’d rather mail a check, please contact me (erdickey at gmail dot com)

I will be raising money until May 30, 2010… Cora’s 6 month birthday. Once donations close, I will take all entries and draw winners for each prize that has been donated!! I will update my blog with news on sponsors as they come in PLEASE spread the word!

*Paypal is not associated with the drawing, only with the donations. Paypal does not participate in raffles. The giveaway is separate. If you have questions, please email me at erdickey at gmail dot com*

PLEASE contact me to donate prizes or for any other information!! Thanks much! erdickey at gmail dot com