Dear Mama, I salute you.

I'm lucky. I get an afternoon off once a week whereby my MIL looks after my little boy. They play and bond - it's great, because I get to be a person away from my son for a minute. And so, I sat drinking every drop of my delicious cappuccino in a secluded coffee shop as I saw her walk by.

Pushing her shopping cart/trolley with one hand in front of her, and dragging her pram/stroller behind her, I nodded my understanding. You see, doing grocery shopping with an infant is difficult. Now, I'm not talking about the newborns, because although it's difficult you can still put their car chairs in the trolley, and I'm not talking about the toddlers (because although they want to grab a million things) they can at least sit, stand or walk.

I'm talking about that weird stage where your baby can't yet sit, but is becoming more and more interactive. This is difficult, because sometimes placing them in the trolley is not an option, and if you're like me, my little one no longer wants to be strapped in his carrier to me (his performances are Oscar-worthy). Not all outlets offer the baby chair's strapped to the trolley, and honestly, the ones that do I shudder when I think about the hygiene and general cleanliness of those things (yes, I'm a first time mom, perhaps when I have my third or fourth I won't care as much). There's this stage where your baby is sitting, but not sitting. This means you can't let your little one simply sit in the nicely designed space for kids, oh no, and it also means that because they are becoming more active they don't want to be strapped into their car seats... so what do you do? I've seen mama's bouncing up and down the shopping aisles with their babies gently strapped to them (this would solve many of my problems, but alas, my son is strong willed about many things it seems), I've seen mama's try and simply hold their baby's whilst pushing a trolley (I've attempted this a few times, but it's effing difficult), and I've seen mama's push a trolley and a pram simultaneously.

And as that woman walked past me, pushing a pram in front of her, dragging her trolley full of groceries behind her, I wondered if someone had told me about this when I was pregnant. Yes, you're told that your life will change blah blah blah, but to fully understand that the most basic act (like grocery shopping) would become a tremendous task... I'm not sure they told me, or if they did I'm not sure I listened. It's the grocery shopping days that when I arrive home I want to receive a high five or a full blown applause - because no matter how insignificant, that right there is an achievement.

And so, to the mama pushing her pram AND her trolley: I see you. I salute you. Because this thing that we're doing. This raising children business whilst still attempting to adult, it's difficult. And so when we accomplish even the smallest every-day adult-ish tasks, it needs to be celebrated. Even if it's just you with a glass of champagne once the baby has (FINALLY) gone to sleep. So yes Mama, while you are juggling a million things in your hands as you glide across the parking lot with your trolley and pram, I salute you.