The last time we left Henry with someone was a freaking disaster. He literally screamed for three hours straight because he had only ever been with either me or Garrison since the day he was born (we didn't leave him until he was five months old! note: parent fail).But anyway, last week I had completely reached my breaking point with Henry. I was sick of not sleeping and tired of being around my child almost 24/7. I mean, WOW. Had it seriously been four whole months since I had spent longer than two hours away from him? I was an emotional wreck, missing my family and feeling completely overwhelmed. My boss and I talked about it one day after work and as I was bawling she volunteered to watch Henry so that we could get out for a while. We don't have any babysitters here because I'm always so busy that I never have the time to get out and make friends (lame). I should also admit that I'm totally one of those moms who's afraid to leave their baby with even an acquaintance (not so lame?).
Thanks to the family I nanny for, Garrison and I finally went out without the H man once again. We had the nicest meal at a new French restaurant and drinks at a bar we had never been to. It was so relaxing and totally nice to finally have a few hours to focus on each other without having to talk over Fisher Price songs and pterodactyl-like screeches.
When we got back, Henry was asleep in his pack and play. He was so relaxed, sleeping with his body all twisted and snoring lightly (hilarious). Apparently he was a perfect little buddy the entire night and only started to get fussy right around bed time. We scooped him up and slipped him into his car, the whole time amazed that he had been so good.
As if the weekend couldn't get any better, Saturday morning my boss picked me up and took me to the spa. That = an additional four hours Henry free. Amazing. I had actually never been to a spa before and it was really nice. We sipped hella free mimosas and soaked in a hot tub, got a massage and a facial, and ate a light lunch (with more free mimosas. duhhh) so. relaxing. When I got back to the house, my boys were eating lunch on the front porch and my messy baby squealed at me with outstretched, yogurt hands and my heart melted. It was like everything had been reset and it was awesome.
You need to give yourself a chance to actually miss your baby and allow some time alone to focus on important things that have been lost over time. Trust me, it makes everything 129802384923490820935 times better.
do you think you could take a second and vote for us? we'd really like to stay on the first page! thanks!
26 comments:
Awesome! SO glad you got to step out and get a break, vurry vurry necessurry.
i'm also guilty of not trusting anyone to leave Lily with other than family and very good friends that i know Lily is completely comfortable with.
ugh, that makes things hard. Will and i don't go out by ourselves as much as we should.
i'm glad you had some time away to yourself. i think it's funny that the tables turned and your boss became your nanny. ;)
oh, and you totally need some boots. start with some booties!
oh Allie! how fun you guys are all dressed up & no baby messes in sight {YAY}! Though trust me i know the hesitant feeling of leaving your babes. i cried the first time i left my littlest bean with my in-laws overnight :-P i was shocked, kinda snuck up on me even though i was craving alone time with my hubby! happy to hear H-man was a well behaved boy while you two were away & that Moms & Pops completely enjoyed their French dinner & drinks at the bar!!! Still envious of your oh. so. fabulous! spa day :) Happy Thursday!
You are so right. It's so important to have "you" time and be able to return home to your babe with a free and cleared mind. It benefits you, your hubby, and your little man! Sounds like you have a great time relaxing and getting away for a bit =]
Glad you had some fun! I voted
this is so good to hear allie!!! im so glad you had a date night AND some allie-time! xoxo
Love it! So glad you got some time to do nice things for yourself! Doesn't it make you such a better mommy when you get those little moments away? Makes me appreciate Jackson so much more!
OK, sexy cute couple! So happy you got to push the baby enjoyment reset button. Absence totally does make the heart grow fonder. Or at least the pterodactyl-like screeches more tolerable. And obviously, yay for free mimosas!
i'm so happy for you allie! it sounds like you had a marvelous (and much-needed) time ;)
cute!! glad you had an awesome weekend!
Can you two get any cuter? Probably. BUT, yay for the night off! AND, the spa time. Yes! Feels so good, huh?
i'm so glad you got the chance to go out! your boss sounds so lovely.
if i lived nearby i would totally babysit for you! or we could leave our husbands with the boys and go out for a girly day!
Oh I need a date and a spa day like that. I never left Ryan with anyone but family til he was 9 months old! Its so hard when they just cry the whole time- its not worth it to me! Now I want to hire a mothers helper to come once a week cause its SO rejuvenating
sounds like pure bliss!
such an awesome boss!
I could def. use some me time. My sons nearly 8 months, and I still never went out with my husband yet.
Sad?..Yup!
your weekend sounds fantastic! I'm so glad you got some "you" time. I am totally right there with you being frustrated about constantly being on call during new mommy life. Its nice to hear someone else feels the same as me about so many things! enjoy H's first halloween!
oh and also you are so freakin adorable! I always love your outfits. and I know you miss fall but Im so jealous of your warm weather!
I think you are an amazing mom and you totally deserved those days out!!! Good for you!
I agree! You are an awesome mom.. but sometimes you have to take care of yourself in order to stay an awesome mom! :)))
I know that I am at my best when I give myself time to recharge :)
Great post! Glad you feel refreshed and all :-)
You both look so cute and what a wonderful boss to step in like that. Motherhood and working is very hard. It's only natural to reach a saturation point and get overwhelmed. I am glad you had a great "reset" weekend. Love, zoe
i'm so glad you got to have some me time!
you totally deserve it. :)
xo.
I love this post! I'm about to move to California with my 18 month old girl to be with my husband who is in the Navy in January. Everyone I know is in Georgia. I. Am. Freaking. Out. Anyways, I've been pretty worried about me getting some "mommy blues" since I, too, like my me too! Thanks for giving me some type of reassurance that everything will be okay!
aww lady - i am SO happy that you got some good time out with your hubby, some YOU time to re-charge your batteries, and that henry was a freaking CHAMP about everything! what a delight, and a well-deserved break!
totally feel you on being finicky about who you leave your kid with. poppy is 18 months old & we've never been away from her for more than 4 hours (which has only happened a handful of times) (and still never overnight!) part of the reason is the same as you - we don't have ANY babysitters! my parents are the only people who ever offer to help out with p, so we are pretty limited. anywhoo, just saying i totally get it. you are doing a great job being h's mama and keeping it all together. this post made me smile!
hugs!
Yay!! I'm so glad you got to go out and have a nice date and I'm super glad you got some me time as well! And that it wasn't a total disaster either! Everyone needs that from time to time (and more than once every four months!!) so don't take so long before doing it again! *yes, I'm bossy*
Love your honesty. Love your blog. Definitely have a crush on Henry. :)
This is a GREAT post and I'm so happy for you that you have gotten a couple MUCH needed breaks. Being a mama is such a hard work. I am 7 weeks in and just really coming to terms with how much I am needed by this little person. Left him with dad for a half hour today to go to Target after I had JUST fed him and he freaked cuz he needed mama. Really?? It's kind of crazy right?
Anyway, you're great!!
Great post. Leaving your baby with a sitter can be hard, but if you find someone you like and trust, I believe you will be a better parent when you return.
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