A week without kids

We spent last week at home, just my husband and I, as our little girl has been on “vacation” with my mom. Vacation consisted of staying at my mom’s house and getting lots of love and attention from her favorite uncle and my extended family. It’s strange without her at home in a rare quiet way. Her laughter, energy and presence fills our home and without her here, I could feel something missing. And although it’s comforting to know that she was having so much fun she doesn’t want to talk to me on the phone, I missed hearing her sweet little voice, her giggles, her squeals and the look on her face when I pick her up after work each day.

We had big plans for the week, filled with date nights and getting extra sleep. But life often has other plans. There was the night I was SURE there was an armed and dangerous man in the woods behind our house and calked the police who came over to check it out. He was not there, but I still spent most of the night wide awake, too scared to sleep. Then there was the flat tire my husband and his friend had that stranded them in a hail storm so I ventured out to pick them up. The errands that I had been putting off for weeks, knowing I’d have more time for them this week could be put off no longer. Little stresses in the grand scheme of life and comical to me, even now. And although not necessarily high on the fun scale for most people, we have been getting a lot of things done around the house and yard. The crib is assembled and ready for baby, the dresser in the nursery stocked, the diapers organized in the baby’s bathroom, baby book is full of information up to this point. Laundry is done. Our house is clean. Christmas shopping is under way. The to-do list is shrinking. It’s a combination of nesting and the extra time on my hands. Time that is usually spent being a parent. And although I feel “caught up” with a lot of things, I miss the chaos that can be the bedtime and morning routines, the exhaustion of playing outside late at night after being tired from work. I miss my little girl.

In between errands and both my husband and I working this week, we had a fun day out with friends that we are still talking about, we’ve squeezed in a few dates (eating dinner at 9:00pm like we did when we dated- late night dinners are something we still enjoy, but are just so much less practical with children). We’ve slept in (taking full advantage, knowing this will not happen for some time, especially with a new baby on the way). And we’ve had uninterrupted time to talk, just the two of us. To plan, to dream, just to be together. And it’s been nice. It’s been rejuvenating.

But I am was so ready to get my little girl back in my arms, to have my family together again. And yesterday was a low key, wonderful day at home, filled with hugs and cuddles and little moments that we missed.

~Angela
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