on the relationship of distance and heart fondness

Despite getting sick over the weekend, this week's been going pretty well.  Donovan went to Miss Pam's house on Monday and Wednesday mornings, 9-12, and while the Wednesday morning drop-off was fairly traumatic, he seems to be enjoying his time there and feeling fairly comfortable.  Anytime I ask him about going to her house to play he smiles real big and gets all excited, which is a very good sign.

And let me tell you, three hours may not be all that long but it was MAGICAL to get that block of time to just get.stuff.done.  He even came home afterwards and took a good 1.5-2hr nap.  I could really get used to this new schedule... ; )  That said, I also noticed a very funny phenomenon on Wednesday, when I went to Target after dropping D off, and I found myself noticing every little blond-haired boy in the 1-4 year age group, and smiling wistfully after them, thinking about my own adorable kiddo whom I suddenly very much missed.

Which I suppose is also part of the point.  Getting that little bit of space so I remember how much I miss him when not around him.  It's surprisingly easy to forget when in the throes of a tantrum.

The weather has been all over the place this week, sunny and warmish one day, freezing cold the next, and today it's pouring down rain with winds so strong that one plank of our fence broke off.  I'm hoping the weather's a bit better tomorrow, as Jen and I have plans for a SISTERS NIGHT OUT!!! I'll head up to the city tomorrow afternoon, we'll hang out, go to a show, I'll spend the night at her place, then Zach and D will drive up Sunday to meet up with us and spend some family together time in SF.

I have to say, I'm a bit embarrassed that the thought of planning something like this had never even crossed my mind before for some reason.  It wasn't until Andrew moved to SF and suddenly Zach was making plans to spend one night hanging out with him every month, that the lightbulb went off and I said, "Hey wait a minute, I have a sister in the city, I could do that, too!"

It's amazing how far-reaching that sense of must-always-be-with-your-baby-can't-leave-him-alone-for-too-long-even-with-his-very-competent-and-loving-father really is.

Jen sent me an email the other day to try to plan out a little, and in it she asked me, "do you want to go eat breakfast on sunday morning somewhere there's a WAIT?? because you CAN???" And I laughed out loud, because it is SO TRUE.  Somehow those mundane things you dreaded doing before (like waiting for a table, or flying cross country) can seem absolutely luxurious once you become a parent and get the chance to do them alone.  Life's funny that way, isn't it?

I look forward to having a fun weekend and another opportunity to miss this little cutie pie: