mama time

Yesterday morning, I hosted a mother's group (play date) at our house. A few mama friends from our neighborhood came and didn't think I was weird for putting pineapple in the lemonade that I served. (Score!)

I'm always in awe at how social Lily has become. Each time she sees another baby, she claps her hands and squeals in excitement. Most other babies her age don't enjoy this and begin to cry. Poor Camryn (a baby girl from mother's group) is a sweet little thing but I think Lily's squeals are a bit much for her. Lily would crawl over to Camryn with a huge smile on her face and Camryn would immediately begin to cry. Each time this happened, Lily would turn to me with a puzzled expression. Eventually, it occurred to Lily that Camryn didn't want to play with her. She clung onto my knee and cried each time Camryn denied her. It's rough watching your kid get her feelings hurt, but that's part of life, you know? Plus, how do you explain to an almost-one-year-old that she is overwhelming to other babies? I guess this is just the beginning. One of my biggest fears is that Lily will be teased or disliked in school, but at the same time, I don't want her to conform to the cool kids like a blind sheep. It's a narrow line and I am puzzled at how I am ever supposed to teach her about socializing with her peers. 

Fortunately, Camryn's mama, Dana laughs it off and doesn't get offended by Lily's squeals. We've offended other mamas in the past and it's really awkward to be like, "oh hey, sorry my kid squeals in excitement at the prospect of playing with your kid" as they're pulling their baby away with a glare towards Lily. What can I say? I have a vivacious hobbit. We blame it on the Tookish side of the family.