From the Urban Mommy

I guess this is my cue to say what it is that makes me an urban mommy. Most of it, you already know. I live with my husband in a three bedroom, 85 square meter apartment in downtown Barcelona. Adam was born at a clinic, ten minutes away, and I had an epidural, just in time for the “expulsion” (as they so delicately put it here). I breastfed Adam exclusively until he was six months old, and I had to return to work, but I also expressed milk and had my husband feed the baby sometimes, to give me a break. Working full-time, I believe in outsourcing as much as possible, so that my time at home is full on and quality. My husband and I own one car between us, which he uses to commute (I bike to work), but which at weekends stays parked most of time as pretty much everything we need is within a decent walking distance – one of the great advantages of an urban lifestyle. Like Amy, we make Adam’s food fresh (he also likes yams!). The ingredients aren’t organic, though, but the veggies are seasonal and locally grown, purchased at the market located right in front of our building.
But… I think that for all our differences, Amy and I have an awful lot of things in common, too. I bet there are times Amy can’t stop staring at her baby, still surprised after so many months that this incredible little creature is actually hers. Amy probably also thinks that there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and that an extra hand or two wouldn’t go amiss! Although our chests may puff with pride whenever someone comments on beautiful are our babies, what really fills our hearts is when someone remarks on how happy they are. I suspect that Amy, too, sometimes looks back with nostalgia to those simpler times when we didn’t have quite so much responsibility, but yet, neither of us would change a thing about what we have today. And finally, however different Amy and I are choosing to raise our children, however different our dreams may be, in the end, what we both really want, is for them to grow up to be happy, healthy, kind and tolerant.