MOPS

Today, I, Wendi Kit., went to MOPS.

MOPS, stands for "Mothers of Preschoolers." Now, obviously, I don't have a preschooler, yet. But, in general, it's simply a place for mothers of young kids. It's a national organization and individual churches pick it up. It is designed to offer spiritual, personal, and community hope to moms. You eat, hear a speaker, do a craft, and get support for motherhood.

I start this post by writing that "Today, I, Wendi Kit., went to MOPS" because I find it quite humorous. Not only have I spent the last ten years not being a mom, I also spent the last ten years staying as far away from mom-activities as possible. Some of this, especially during our early years of marriage, was simply because they didn't interest me. And some of this was because, especially during the major part of our infertility journey, these types of places were painful places to be.

In addition, those of you who know me personally know that I have never been one of those people who does girly things. I always joke that the things in the church bulletin designed for the men are the activities I'd rather be participating in. Watching the game, playing basketball, doing "guy" things always looks more intriguing than women's things. Women's things always include: crafts, tea, or something of the like. This isn't me! Heck, on Thanksgiving in our house, my husband is cooking the turkey. I'm in the living room watching the game!

However, my friend Tiffany is one of the leaders of this group of MOPS which meets at the very large Methodist church she attends. A few months before Isaac arrived she encouraged me to join her at MOPS. Actually she said something like, "I'm signing you up!" :) And she did!

As the day got closer, I got more nervous about my decision to go. Would I really fit in with all these moms? Even now, with Isaac, I don't consider myself a die-hard mom. I'm a laid back, go-with-the-flow gal, who has a lot of other interests besides being a mom. Would I really have anything in common with these ladies?

If it wasn't for Tiffany, I probably would have backed out. Even though I am a social person, I get very nervous doing new things. But Tiffany had helped me sign up. There was a waiting list which means I had taken a spot someone else could have. I needed to go. I needed to follow through on my decision.

I say all that to admit to all of you that I enjoyed MOPS. Tiffany called me afterwards to make sure that I liked it. She said she felt like my big sister peeking at me all the time to see if I was doing okay. Yes, I was. While I still feel a bit like a fraud walking the halls of the children's rooms, I felt like I had things in common with these people and could really benefit from this group. In addition, I actually had to admit to Tiffany, who is in charge of crafts, that I actually enjoyed working on the craft -- a cute picture frame for Isaac's room. And, it didn't look half-bad when I was done either.

Wendi. Doing crafts! Wow!

I also found out that there were a few other moms there who had adopted from China! One of them, I had actually met online through an online listserv many months ago. She has two daughters from China and has been following my blog for awhile. The other gal also found me through the listserv and has followed my blog as well. She also told me that she actually met me at my vet when Scrubs was just a little puppy with his big heart nose! In addition, my neighbor and fellow medical-wife, Brittany, also attends. Her daughter Sophie is in Isaac's class.

Isaac's class. What a sweet place that was. There were quite a few "grandmas" who had obviously volunteered to come in and hold the babies. I think he was well loved. Although they did tell me that when he got tired, he just wanted his swing! That's my Isaac.

Okay, so there it is. My summary of my first MOPS. It was fun. The food was great! The craft was easy. The speaker was very good. I had a great time.

There, I admitted it. Am I girly-girl now or what?!