Mommy Guilt

So I just have to take a quick second to rant a bit and get something off my chest.  Emme and I have been going to Story Time at the local public library. I really enjoy it and it is a great program. Emme loves the songs, chants, and stories, and then they offer a little play time at the end for all the babies. 

The routine is pretty much the same every week. The first thing you do is introduce yourself and your baby, how old he/she is, and somethine new they have learned.  This isn't really a problem, as babies seem to pick up a new trick every day-- but today I was starting to feel a little intimdated by other people's "tricks."  I don't really know why but there were lots of babies today in Emme's age range, and the stories from each mom kept getting bigger and bigger- like one of those fishing tales.

It sounded sort of like this...
Me: "I'm Janna, and this is Emme. She is 8 months old and she just started clapping recently."
Moms: "Awww! So sweet..."

Mom #2: " I'm --- and this is ---.  He is 9 months old and walking all over the place! I can't hardly get him to sit down!"
Mom #3: "I'm --- and this is ---. She is 9 months old and saying "Baby... Mama... and Dada!"
Mom #4: "I'm --- and this is ---. He is 8 months old and crawling all over the house. He can also push behind his walking toys!"
Mom#5: "I'm --- and this is ---. She is 9 months old and she just started doing somersaults from her classes at the Little Gym."  (at this point she proceeds to show us how her daughter can do that- quite impressive).

Anyway, after Story Time was over, I left feeling somewhat defeated.  I love being around other moms, but sometimes it feels like a competition- and I don't like that feeling.  All the tricks sort of piled up on me this week and I was feeling like, "Man! I'm behind! How to I get Emme to do all of that?!?"  --Breathe deeply--

So now I'm trying to shrug off the need to compare and just enjoy the stage Emme is in right now.  End rant.