I have never been driven by food. I like food, it’s good, but I am rarely crazed over food. That being said I do LOVE to go out to dinner. It doesn’t have to be fancy…Friendlys will do the trick….but just sitting down and having some conversation makes for a perfect evening. But now that our little Christian is here dinner out has become something more of a challenge, and it’s not just dinner out, it’s pretty much all of my meals. Mealtime as a mom is a totally different ballgame!

When the baby was about 8 weeks old I finally brought him out to a restaurant to meet some friends for lunch. It was a successful trip, and dinner/lunches out continued to be a success for a little while. That is until about the 3 month “wakeful” mark. At that point going out to dinner became extremely difficult. I decided to put my foot down and refuse to even go, because all I would do is worry about my fussy baby and be stuck walking and bouncing him around the restaurant (it was winter so I couldn’t bring him outside). Fast forward to around the 6 month mark, and my son could then sit in a high chair and be entertained for a short period of time….that meant my dinners were back on.

When I say my dinners were back on, I should clarify that they are nothing like the dinners of old. Don’t get my wrong, I love doing things with my son, but dinners out are now…shall we say…a different experience. I worry more about feeding him more than feeding myself. My favorite spot Friendlys is now the best spot for him since a high pitched scream goes unnoticed.

The other day I was craving a tuna sandwich from a local deli. I stopped there to bring it home for lunch, but to both my dismay and pleasure I spent more time playing with my son than enjoying my sandwich. I got to eat it of course…but it was in drips and drabs over time. Certainly not the savory experience I was hoping for.

Once the witching hour started to go away, and Christian had a more steady bedtime The Captain and I began eating our dinner AFTER the baby went to bed. It has been nice to be able to sit and relax to enjoy my meal. Although growing up as a 5:00 dinner eater, eating after 7 leaves me rather hungry. I have been getting used to it though!

I have a feeling that meal time as a mom will be a challenge for the rest of my life. I will forever be serving the food, eating last, and worrying about rowdy kids when we are out. I guess a nice quiet dinner out with The Captain will be my escape!