We had a great time. We walked all over Philadelphia and saw a creepy Medical Museum and ate at restaurants that were not necessarily kid-friendly. We saw a movie and after hours of walking the city, we napped.
What I found most striking was nap time. I napped without wondering about Andrew. I didn't worry if he was awake or if he needed something or if my napping was imposing on others because they had to care for him instead. Now, I know that my napping (and the weekend away for that matter) was definitely imposing on our friends that were staying with him. But for some reason, being a few hours away and not being able to do anything about it made me not worry about it too much. I was able to turn off and not worry and just rest.
It was amazing. I had no idea how much care Andrew takes until I was away from him and felt a difference. Not that I mind the amount of care he takes...it just makes me appreciate it more. It makes me appreciate mommy-hood and the work involved more. The day to day lego construction supervision can get a little, well, day to day. And I find it hard to measure what I am really doing as a mommy. It's not like other work, where at the end of the day I can say: I cleaned these rooms, or I wrote this many lessons, or I made a few pies (!). So since it is so hard to measure and really see the work part, it was nice to get away and feel its absence. Feeling its absence made me more aware of its presence.
Being able to fully rest was also in part because each time we called our friends to check in on things everyone seemed to be having a good time. There really was nothing to worry about. Andrew turns into a little host when others watch him. He likes to show off that he knows where things go and how things are done and he loves walking them through his routines.
When we got home everyone was all excited to share about the weekend's adventures. Our friends were able to show us things Andrew learned when we were gone. Andrew was able to bounce from one of us to another feeling cared for by many. And we were able to sit back and appreciate good kids and good friends and good rest.
So glad we went.
During naptime today I made a few little pillows to coordinate with the bench pillow and to try to bring together our mis-matched furniture a bit. For some reason, Dave thinks these little pillows are great. I'm not really sure how they differ from shams, but let's not let on that they really don't.
8 comments:
What a wonderful sounding trip! The impromptu rest sounds great- I'm glad you did it, too, and i"m glad you enjoyed it.
In a weird way, your post made me want to go back to work. I only worked (out of the house, anyway) about 6 hours/ week, but it was just enough time to get a refresher and then feel excited to see Atticus again. It was also nice to do something where I felt like I could tangibly see some accomplishment.
When is sprout due, anyway?
I work from home for similar reasons. To balance my day, have something that someone well say, "Well done, Robyn!" and I find I am better with Andrew when I have a few other things going on. When it is just me and Andrew I spend a lot of time wondering what to do and zoning out instead of engaging him.
Sprout shows up early May.
I am so glad that you got some time away together! And it sounds like a great weekend.
I am always surprised at how much time I have to do things when my attachments are left behind. =)(not that it happens that often)
Time for me... that is why I took the scrapbook job!
The pillows are so gorgeous and work really well.
I wish my family would come and stay here with our little chicks but no - their place or no place, and staying away fries our son's brain.
I am glad you are back.
(Is it mean to say that to somebody coming back from a relaxing vacation?).
I keep meaning to ask, Robyn- what do you do from home, anyway?
I write curriculum. I work for a Teacher's Professional Dev company and I write lessons and activities and such for their website for their teachers to use. I work about 2 hours a day...or 3...depending on the project. It is a very good deal. About 4 months after Andrew was born a friend that I used to teach with emailed me to see if I wanted to do some projects for them. And I started off with a few projects and then a bigger project and then they signed me on for a year of freelance work. So, I get steady pay and steady work. The contract ends in June and I will have to take May off anyway because of a new little Sprout...but I am hoping they will want to sign me on for another year beginning mid-June. I'm always a little worried that they won't and Dave thinks that I'm too worried about it and of course they will. I really, really hope he's right...
I'm so glad you had such a great trip away and that you could let yourself relax. It is truly amazing how much of yourself is dedicated to caring for your child, and a good thing to remember.
As for your other job, don't sweat it. I'm sure they'll sign you on for more work, and if they don't, something better is around the corner. I was bummed about a couple leads not working out, and then the perfect job landed in my lap.
Your living room looks wonderful--the cushion and pillows add so much!
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