i am a stay at home mom to an 8month old dd. i moved 10 hours away from all family and friends to be with my husband on a military base when i was pregnant. since moving, it has been extremely hard to meet people. and now, my husband has deployed so i've lost him and also social functions related to his work. everyone i had gotten to know was people from his job, who are also deployed now. i'm feeling really lonely and without support, and i know that i need to meet people and build a new support system, but i just don't even know where to begin. i'm naturally very shy and tend to rely on my very outgoing sister or husband to meet people, so without them i'm a bit lost. i know other military spouses who talk about all the wonderful support programs available on bases, but i've been here a year and haven't seen any sign of them. possibly because although my husband is in the navy we live on an air force base and so i'm usually out of the loop. so i guess my question is what types of activities have other moms met friends through? how do you manage getting out to try new things and meet new people with a baby in tow? my first thought was LLL, but the nearest meeting is 30 minutes away and after my dd's bedtime, so not an option as a temporarily single parent. i've started attending the sunday chapel service on base, but can't stay for the meet-and-greet afterwords because dd is usually very fussy by the end of the service. i'm feeling so overwhelmed...i don't even know how i'd find a babysitter here. i feel like i'm whining, but i'm just at a loss. i love my dd and i'm committed to staying at home with her and nursing and giving her the best start in life, but i fantasize about just dropping her at a daycare with a bottle and going back to school. i don't want to start to resent her, but i feel like i have to choose between being a mother and having any friends/social interaction/mental stimulation. any sort of reply would be wonderful at this point, even if it's just a "there there". thanks.
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betsy
