I am making progress in my journey to make friends. I don't think I have any friends in Pittsburgh yet, per se, but I have acquaintances now. This is due to two groups in which Gwen and I have recently become members.
First, we joined Gymboree. This was key. First of all, we have an unlimited membership so we are able to go to a class or open gym at least once daily (except for Sundays when they are closed). I have met several mommies there, Gwen has grown leaps and bounds in her abilities from watching other kids, and she has had the chance to interact with other kids, which she had never really done before. She has gotten so good at her milestones that she is in the level 3 class even though she is still, technically, a month too young (yes, I am bragging because I am proud of my little girl). We have only been doing Gymboree for a month and a half and in that time Gwen went from being a non-crawler to a near-walker. The negative of Gymboree: Gwen is suffering her second cold in as many weeks. I guess she was going to be exposed to germs at some point, and at least she is building up her immune system now without missing any days of school.
Our second group that we have joined is the Mt Lebanon Moms Network. I found this organization through a website called meetup. If you are looking for friends who have similar interests as you, I suggest looking on meetup. I joined meetup, joined the MLMN, and now there is at least one activity daily that Gwen and I can go to. It is mostly made up of stay at home moms who also wanted to get out of the house at least once daily so they don't go crazy.
I found out through my discussions with many of these moms that several have also recently moved to Pittsburgh and have joined one or both of these groups to meet other moms. I'm not alone!
Here is how I know that I am making progress in making acquaintances: last night while grocery shopping Gwen heard another baby babbling and decided to mimic her sounds. I said, "Are you talking to another baby," and when I looked up to see the baby she was talking to I realized it was a baby from her Gymboree class. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the name of the baby's mom, for the life of me, but now you can be sure I won't forget it again. Then today we went to baby story time at the library. I saw two people from the MLMN and two people from Gymboree! Not only did I see people from both groups, but one mom from MLMN is thinking about joining Gymboree and did a free class yesterday meeting one of the Gymboree moms who was at the library this morning, so my two Pittsburghian worlds collided. There actually seems to be quite a bit of MLMN/Gymboree overlap. The Gymboree moms hear about MLMN through the current MLMN members, and the MLMN members who are not Gymboree members are looking for indoor activities now that it is getting colder out (colder being 65 degrees...they seem to be planning ahead).
I am hoping that soon I will be able to make the transition from recognizing people out in public when I happen to run into them to arranging to get together with people on purpose. I will keep you posted with my progress as well as any other ideas that I discover for making friends as a grown-up.
*Note: When trying to make friends with other moms, don't try typing "dating moms" into google. You will not find what you are looking for.
First, we joined Gymboree. This was key. First of all, we have an unlimited membership so we are able to go to a class or open gym at least once daily (except for Sundays when they are closed). I have met several mommies there, Gwen has grown leaps and bounds in her abilities from watching other kids, and she has had the chance to interact with other kids, which she had never really done before. She has gotten so good at her milestones that she is in the level 3 class even though she is still, technically, a month too young (yes, I am bragging because I am proud of my little girl). We have only been doing Gymboree for a month and a half and in that time Gwen went from being a non-crawler to a near-walker. The negative of Gymboree: Gwen is suffering her second cold in as many weeks. I guess she was going to be exposed to germs at some point, and at least she is building up her immune system now without missing any days of school.
Our second group that we have joined is the Mt Lebanon Moms Network. I found this organization through a website called meetup. If you are looking for friends who have similar interests as you, I suggest looking on meetup. I joined meetup, joined the MLMN, and now there is at least one activity daily that Gwen and I can go to. It is mostly made up of stay at home moms who also wanted to get out of the house at least once daily so they don't go crazy.
I found out through my discussions with many of these moms that several have also recently moved to Pittsburgh and have joined one or both of these groups to meet other moms. I'm not alone!
Here is how I know that I am making progress in making acquaintances: last night while grocery shopping Gwen heard another baby babbling and decided to mimic her sounds. I said, "Are you talking to another baby," and when I looked up to see the baby she was talking to I realized it was a baby from her Gymboree class. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the name of the baby's mom, for the life of me, but now you can be sure I won't forget it again. Then today we went to baby story time at the library. I saw two people from the MLMN and two people from Gymboree! Not only did I see people from both groups, but one mom from MLMN is thinking about joining Gymboree and did a free class yesterday meeting one of the Gymboree moms who was at the library this morning, so my two Pittsburghian worlds collided. There actually seems to be quite a bit of MLMN/Gymboree overlap. The Gymboree moms hear about MLMN through the current MLMN members, and the MLMN members who are not Gymboree members are looking for indoor activities now that it is getting colder out (colder being 65 degrees...they seem to be planning ahead).
I am hoping that soon I will be able to make the transition from recognizing people out in public when I happen to run into them to arranging to get together with people on purpose. I will keep you posted with my progress as well as any other ideas that I discover for making friends as a grown-up.
*Note: When trying to make friends with other moms, don't try typing "dating moms" into google. You will not find what you are looking for.
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