Today Matt took Luke out to shop for my anniversary present. (We will hit our two year mark on August 11. More about that on my Tribute to Husband blog in the coming weeks...) This was a great thing for three reasons:
1. Matt rarely gets alone time with Luke, and I don't think he's ever taken him out by himself for an extended period.
2. I get presents.
3. I get the afternoon to myself!
Luke just turned 3 months old this week, and I can't remember the last time I was without him, let alone, ALONE. I went to the gym a few weeks ago, but that doesn't really count because I had to prepare all day for it and it was far from restful and I certainly wasn't alone there. I seriously can't recall a time since Luke was born when I wasn't with at least one of my men. This is in stark contrast to ALL the time I spent alone when I was pregnant. I'm glad I enjoyed that time like my mom told me to!
So here's how it all went down: This morning I took Luke for our daily walk at the beach (that has become our walk/jog at the beach! Yay us! (I can't wait for my jogging stroller husband-who-I-love-so-much!! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!!)) and I came home to a husband offering to take the little man for the afternoon. I gave him a resounding "YES YES YES!!" and rushed to get Luke ready for his outing. I sent them on their way and relished in the silence of the house...for about 5 minutes. Then I got antsy and wondered what to do with my hours of freedom.
I got many suggestions with how to spend my time (thank you facebook friends!) but ended up taking a long shower (without the baby monitor or the shower door half open) followed by a short nap. Then I drove to the mall without worrying about the volume on the radio, and did some much needed shopping. To a parent, solo shopping can only be described as joyful. I browsed and filled both arms with clothes and took my time trying things on, and I never had to shake a rattle or maneuver a stroller through clothing racks or crowds. I took the escalator. Things were just easy.
I know these little breaks are necessary, especially since I had my first mommy meltdown this week. It was hot, Luke was grumpy and wouldn't go to sleep, I hadn't had a chance to clean the house all week, everything seemed difficult and messy, and I just started crying. It had taken 3 months, but it had arrived. I pretty much cried the rest of the day, through Luke's eventual nap, and up until my husband walked in the door. He took care of dinner that night. Maybe that was why he offered to take the baby today. I didn't even think of that until now. Must remember to kiss and thank husband when finished.
But as much as I loved the ease of my much needed alone time, I missed my little boy. I like looking in the rear view mirror when I'm driving and seeing his cute face, and pushing him around in the mall while people "ooh" and "ahh" at him (due to his insane adorableness -- yes, that's a word, I looked it up), and just having him with me. So when I walked through the door this afternoon I was more than ready to give up my freedom and regain my role as Mommy. When I picked Luke up and put him to my shoulder he smiled at me then tucked his little head into my neck and cuddled.
That moment alone will keep me sane for another 3 months.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Oh this is just precious! AND SO VERY TRUE! The best (if you haven't noticed this already) is going out on "dates" with your hubby, sans child(ren), and promising not to talk about baby all night, but ending up ONLY being able to talk about baby. Also, I can't believe you went three whole months before you had any sort of breakdown. I went about three whole days. Ouch.
ReplyDelete