I got a haircut. Did I forget to mention? Anyway.

Last night we went to our monthly La Leche League meeting. Sam wasn't feeling all that well (teething again, I believe, and sleepy to boot), so it took him some time to warm to the room, but then he had a blast, as he usually does. It's a really excellent bunch of women, and the mood is always so relaxed and friendly; we both love having the opportunity to be in a group of people, talking, chatting, playing, and having fun.

Last night, there was a new member of the group. She's a single mother and has a toddler girl. As the group talked, we found that we had some things in common. She was looking for a hands-off, natural-remedy-friendly doctor for her daughter, so I recommended Sam's doctor; she has a better background in herbs and homeopathy than I do, so we decided that we're going to get together to make first-aid kits. We both had homebirths and had an enjoyable time sharing and comparing our stories. After the meeting, we exchanged phone numbers, and we'll hopefully be getting together soon.

I'm finding my "tribe."

I've never been very good at making friends. I had one circle of friends, with a few variations, pretty much from kindergarten through high school. In college I had one more, mainly by virtue of being Eric's girlfriend. Forming my own circle? Difficult. Both Eric and I have struggled with it since having to leave our friends behind when we left West Virginia.

Now that Sam's here, it's become even harder, yet even more imperative. If I ended up sitting on the couch, alone, in front of the TV every night, well, it was a darn shame, but no huge deal. Sam, on the other hand, deserves so much better.

So I'm trying. And I'm improving. I'm starting to accumulate a small group of companions with whom I can spend regular time; I'm just about to the point where I can call someone, if I want to, and have something to do for that very afternoon. Who would have imagined?

Bekki is my phone friend, as she lives a couple of hours away. She's got three boys that love to come visit, and Sam has a great time following the older boys around, or mauling (sorry. Collin!) the baby. We sling our kids when we go to the zoo or out to eat; we play on the computer and watch movies. One of these days, when the boys let us, we're going to get the men together and play board games.

Betsy is my playgroup friend. She took pity on me when Sam was a newborn and let me join her playgroup, even though all the other kids were preschoolers, and we've been going ever since. Her two girls, whom I knew from library storytimes, like having Sam to visit; Betsy and I share recipes, and she encourages my sorely neglected artsy side.

Dawn is my mentor friend. Her three boys are all older, and it seems that she's been through every problem I've had or ever will have with Sam. She was the one who encouraged me to try to conceive a baby in the first place; she was the one who referred me to our backup midwife, and she used our homebirth midwives for her own homebirth a year prior to ours. She taught me how to pin a diaper. I rely on her tremendously, and can only hope that someday I can support her as she supports me.

Amy is my old friend. A carry-over from my high school circle, she's the one in whom I confide all my deepest secrets - the few that she doesn't know already, anyway. She has a puppy, and we trade pictures of our "babies." We complain about men, and I live vicariously through her fascinating professional life.

Will my new acquaintance become a real friend, enriching my life as I (hopefully) enrich hers? Only time will tell. I look forward to finding out. Being a member of a wonderful, beautiful tribe is incredibly fulfilling; as I learn from them, I share myself, and we all evolve and grow together. It's better than I could have ever imagined.

In other news, Sam moves like lightning, and he's into everything. He's defeated the cabinet latches, he pulls up on the baby gates, and tries to climb over the bed rails. Ah, for the days of immobility!