All Good Things Come to an End

During my maternity leave I was fortunate to be surrounded by some wonderful ladies. It turned out we had a bit of a baby boom in our group of friends. Ten of us ended up being off on mat leave together with our babies being born within a few months of each other.

One of the mommies started up an organized group where we could post questions and arrange get togethers. We even started buying mommy group birthday presents for all of the little ones as they reached their first birthdays.

Our mommy group got together (usually) every week. Outside when the weather was nice; the babies cooed and babbled and played on their outdoor blankets. Once it got cold outside we each took turns hosting all of the mommies and babies complete with yummy snacks and fun conversation while the babies played with every toy in sight.

The babies grew closer with each visit and so did all of the mommies. I got so used to seeing these incredible ladies and their little ones (some of which were first time mommies, others second and third time mommies) that I didn’t realize just how much I would miss them once our maternity leaves ended.

Seeing my mommy group friends so often became my normal routine but slowly one by one our group became smaller and smaller. The sad reality that our time together was coming to an end weighed heavily on each of us.

I still have a bit of time left with a few members of our group (one has since had another baby and another is due in the summer) and other mommies are joining the group which I am so grateful for, but I can’t help but ache for those who have left.

I know going back to work wasn’t easy for some of them and I feel very selfish saying that it hasn’t been easy on me either.

The time I spent with them was one of the most memorable years of my life and I loved every moment we had together. Having these ladies as a sounding board was an amazing experience. Each of us could ask questions and receive unbiased opinions. One would ask,  “My baby is doing this today, is that normal?” and two or three of them would respond with, “Oh yes, mine did the same thing last week, don’t worry.”

Thanks to mommy group I feel more confident in trusting my ‘mommy instincts,’ my girls have become very social little babies because of the group, and I owe it to them for making me realize that YES I CAN get out of the house with twins.

Unfortunately, I’ve also come to realize that the saying is true…I guess that all good things must come to an end.