Those of you who know me know that I have lots of anxiety. I've been scared out of my mind to take Ben outside!! I'm completely envious of mommies who've been able to do this since day one and have mastered the art of taking their babies out!
Perhaps this all stems from the Korean "one month rule", which many different Asian cultures have variations of. During pregnancy, my mom would constantly remind me that I was so lucky to be having Ben in the winter since according to the rule, both baby and mommy are not allowed to leave the home for a month. (To my non-Korean readers, YES! I'm not kidding. ONE MONTH of being stuck indoors! ) She explained that it had something to do with allowing time for the baby's immune system to build up and for mommy's body to completely heal. Since it was too cold to go out anyway, she believed that it was in my favor. I wouldn't feel badly about not going out.
Unfortunately, this backfired. During the first month, I became restless and claustrophobic. Talk about a bad case of cabin fever! Winters are already hard enough to deal with in the city since it's so gloomy out which causes one to become more and more introverted. Imagine being confined in a tiny apartment, not by choice! It was just Ben and me for 8.5 hours where I'd be having one-way conversations. Ben wasn't smiling yet, so it really felt like I was talking to myself!
Anyhows, if you've read my earlier post, you know that Ben and I finally went out on his 1 month birthday on a short trip 3 blocks away to the 86th Street H&M. I thought that I'd be dying to get out since I'd been stuck in the apartment for what seemed like an eternity. I thought that this day would go down in the books as a day to remember! I found myself, however, scared out of my mind to take him out! My mom had instilled the fear of GOD in me. "It's too cold to take him out. He's going to get sick. Taking care of a sick baby is the worst. etc. etc..."
In addition to these fears, so many other things crossed my mind. What if this and what if that? The scariest thing then and now has been worrying about feeding and changing Ben. Where would I be able to do these things? Fortunately, while surfing the net, I found something that hopefully will come in handy.
Where can I find a changing table when Ben has an accident and needs to be changed? Where can I find a kid-friendly restaurant nearby?
Well, there's an app for that!
Introducing...... the iKidNY iPhone application!! Navigating the city just got easier! The iKidNY iPhone app was developed by a NYC mom who just wanted to make her life a little easier. Features include the following:
- super easy one touch navigation
- interactive neighborhood map for searching anywhere in the 5 boroughs
- one touch auto connect to all phone numbers and websites
- detailed directions to any location
- and much more!
I'm not going to lie. Has this changed my life immediately? Absolutely not. Have I left the house yet? No, but I know that once I get over my fear of stepping out into the world, I'll have access to this information at my fingertips and will have one less thing to worry about. For a mere $2.99 on iTunes, I think it's been a godsend. A huge shout out to the mama who made this app. You've made my life a whole lot simpler and less worrisome!
http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/kids/blog/2009/10/20/ikidny-an-iphone-app-for-nyc-parents/
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