Entry 15:

Hi Hanna,

I think I can put the pieces together. This USPS/FedEx deal is a last gasp maneuver by the Clinton administration to preserve postal unity and stave off a Republican-driven devolution of postal power to the states. The incoming administration must hope that with 50 separate strife-torn postal systems, the nation's information infrastructure will come tumbling down, and the functions of "big government" will grind to a halt. Kind of like the Reagan-era deficits--spend us into a hole on defense now so that Democrats can't spend anything on social programs later. In truth, FedEx is the hero here. It's all that stands between us and a literal reading of the 10th Amendment. I haven't figured out the incest angle yet, but I'm sure it's there.

Actually, that world of postal chaos wouldn't be too far off from a world in which people take cell phone calls at funerals. I've read that other cultures are more accepting of cell phones because their land-line infrastructure is so lousy and living conditions are generally more crowded. If the only kind of phone service that is truly widespread is mobile, and if no one has their own bedroom, there is going to be much greater tolerance of public conversations. Part of the reason that home ownership is the American dream is because people don't want to hear their upstairs neighbors.

As promised, a few words about my mommy group. The women I saw today are actually one of two groups that I see periodically. Six women, all with boys, all but one of whom were born within 10 days of one another. The group has been meeting practically weekly since the babies were five weeks old, but my attendance has been sporadic.

Initially I had my doubts about the usefulness of this sort of thing. I'm not much of a group-type person, and I had no idea what the benefit would be. But if, like me, you never paid much attention to babies, it can be very educational just to get in a room with a bunch of other moms and babies and see what the other babies look like, what they do, and so forth. The stereotype is that these play groups are highly competitive, with everyone checking out each other's kids. There is a little of that, but it's basically benign. Usually I come away thinking, "Hmm, well, my kid can do this, but her kid can do that." So those of us whose kids can do task A provide advice to those whose kids can't and vice versa. And it all evens out. If one kid is a good sleeper, another kid can roll over. No one's feelings are hurt.

We don't veer into confession all that much. Once there was a little bit of talk about postpartum sex. Today, the one woman who had to quit breast-feeding early on account of an infection mused about trying to get her milk back. The latest preoccupation is about child care and the return to work (no surprises there). A lot of the time, it's about logistics. Today I asked how exactly it is that one double-pumps. And this is the group that gave me the definitive answer on how to protect myself from getting peed on during a diaper change (not a problem for you, but for moms of boys it's a big issue). These are things that only the parents of babies care about. It's nice to be able to talk about them with someone who won't berate you for not having a life.

Tell me all about those pandas.

XOX,
M

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