Conrad's great grandmothers

There are a lot of firsts with having a baby. First smile, first time they say mama, first faltering steps. First time you sit casually at a friend's place with one tit hanging out. First time in your life you ever left the house in tracksuit pants. First purchase of ugg boots. And, first time you are overjoyed to have an impromptu visit from your mother on a Sunday morning.

Your mother, bearing groceries and compassion, materialising on your doorstep while you, lonely and distraught, have been up since before dawn holding a baby you have absolutely no idea what to do with. The mamas who did it before you KNOW that what is needed in a newborn babe's household is patience, housework, meals, and a break for the shellshocked mother. 

I am so thankful for both Conrad's grandmas. During those first hellish eight weeks my mother often sat unmoving on the couch for hours on end, holding the baby while I went off to bed, allowing me the ONLY sleep of longer than an hour that I would get in that 24 hour period. My partner T's mother fed us dozens of curries, bakes and stews, plus her famous apple crumbles and anzac biscuits. And, of course, they both did dishes, scrubbed rubbish bins and sorted laundry without a word.

As grateful as I am, and I am REALLY grateful, it has been a shock to the system to, in my mid-thirties, have that much maternal facetime - and all the unsolicited advice and opinions that come with it. I didn't know that starting a family would mean seeing so much of my OWN family! Sitting in the loungeroom one afternoon, T and I made silent screaming faces at each other when we overheard, from the kitchen, grandmother 1 say to grandmother 2, "Now, what's your phone number, so we can stay in contact?".

Thankfully those ghastly early weeks are behind us, and we now have our independence back, but we still rely on both grandmas for babysitting, sometimes at the drop of a hat. They both absolutely love it , as they can immerse themselves in baby cuteness and take pride in their own flesh and blood (once removed), but they get to hand him back before exhaustion sets in. My mum is so smitten that she only has eyes for the baby - the other day I hadn't even got the screen door open before she was exclaiming through it, "Oh heLLO Conrad, aren't you BEAUtiful?!" Er, hi mum.