The kids were at the grandparents all last week and I blogged about how odd it was to not have them in the house. As I was traveling for about half the week myself, I didn’t get the full experience of a week home without children, but I did learn a few things along the way.
- I love cloth diapers
, but it’s definitely a “relative to disposables” thing. It was great to be free of washing and folding diapers.
- Sleeping eight hours with a silent baby monitor is bliss. Bonus points because we were able to turn it off and not have that green light shining all night, either.
- Baby butt cheeks are cute in photos and when you’re getting them out of the bathtub, but most of the time when I see a baby’s butt it needs wiping. I enjoyed not having to wipe any butts for a week.
- Sarah Kate has always been a big talker, and Nathan is plenty noisy in his own right. Silence to think my thoughts is a rare commodity, and I loved it.
- Dinnertime was a piece of cake: no vegetables thrown in the floor, and I didn’t even bother to cook (Mr. Andi foraged for his own dinner).
- Daisy the Wild Westie was in heaven, because no one was pulling her tail or grabbing her food. I was relieved not to have to run interference between boy and dog.
But it wasn’t all fun and games, and there are a few other things I noticed:
- No one was around during the day to flash me a giant smile just because I was there.
- I took a lot less photographs, and struggled with my 365 project, because my two favorite subjects weren’t available.
- I missed out on a lot of giant hugs – both from the skinny girl and the chunky boy. Both huggers are strong in their own way.
- I didn’t laugh as much, because the house was missing Sarah Kate’s marvelous sense of humor.
- At first I was relieved that no one needed me, until I realized that No One Needed Me.
- No one said, “I love you, Momma” (or, alternately, reached toward me saying, “MaMaMaMaMaMa..”)
Even though I enjoyed a little bit of alone time, the house isn’t the same without them in it. It was like living under a cloudy sky – okay for awhile, even a relief if it’s hot outside, but eventually you want to see the sun.
When they came home, they brought the sunshine.
so sweet.
I love time alone — I LOVE time alone — but I miss my kids even when I am out doing errands. I can’t win.
… and that you use cloth diapers! so impressive.
I looked into cloth diapers before Sarah Kate was born, but the chaos of preemie+move pushed it to the back burner. I decided to look into them again with Nathan (only because I am CHEAP!) and found that they’ve come a long way. Now I love them and am a certified Cloth Diaper Evangelist. They work so much better than disposables and come in super-cute colors and prints.
However much we wish for some quiet we really miss those kids when they are not there. I wrote about this in my blog on June 20 – http://growingyoungereachday.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/the-busy-years/. Enjoy the time you have with your littlies. They are short and so quickly pass. 🙂
I just read your post, Judith. Thank you so much for sharing. I encourage everyone reading my post to go and read Judith’s, as well – particularly if you are, like me, in the middle of the busy years. It will definitely give you pause.
We just got back from a four-day vacation from the twins and had similar mixed emotions! It’s nice to have a break sometimes! (And as I noted a few days ago on my blog, maybe even more for them than for us!)
I saw your post about taking a break from therapy, not only for your sake, but for theirs. Very insightful. There’s a fine line between rest and mom guilt. 😉
P.S. I couldn’t believe how much older they looked in the photo! I guess I haven’t seen a picture of Nathan in a while!
What a lovely post! It’s funny how we complain and bemoan things all the time until they are gone, then we miss them, huh? My bf makes fun of me for talking a lot and I joke around that he complains, but if I stopped talking a lot, he would be BEGGING me to say something haha. What a cute little boy you have – people w Down’s have just the happiest smiles ever! I can’t help but crack up if I hear my sister laugh or see her smile
Absolutely! I often wonder what I’ll do with myself when I have a “real” empty nest for more than a few days. I don’t like to think about it!
I need that green light – it’s how I tell if the dog is on the bed when I climb in late (way too late) at night.
LOL! I don’t have to worry about that – Daisy goes to bed when I do, and can only get on the bed if someone puts her there (tall bed, short Westie).