Mama in the City

We dropped Ben off 10 days ago and picked him up this past Saturday; we then stayed for the long weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family. Both my husband I were pretty stoked to see him and were looking forward to being back into my mum role. We loved his response when he first saw us; there were big smiles and loud exclamations of 'mama!' and 'dada!' as he ran back and forth between the two of us giving out lots of hugs and smooches. It felt great.

After a few hours of being together, he proceeded to become absolutely terrified anytime I went to leave the room. He needed lots of extra attention from me but I was okay with that, I want him to feel comfortable with me and also when he is 'away from home'. While we were away he was doted on by my mum and dad, and older sister and her family. It is a great feeling knowing that your child is being well taken care of and you don't have to worry about how he is.

From all the stories I heard from my family, it sounded like Ben fit right in and was a pretty good toddler. It wasn't until I returned that he got a wee bit emotional and testy in that terrific toddler way, complete with him hanging on my leg. He went from being a great night time sleeper to frequently calling out for me, even the times that we were sleeping together with him attached to me. Granted, it has only been 2 'off' nights but the change is noted. He was very excited to see his crib tonight and dropped off to the land of nod with no fuss.

I have one last vacation day to go and then I am back to work and the usual routine and dread of night shifts. So, tomorrow I will spend the day hanging out and loving on Ben and doing our usual at home routine. I want to do the same old seawall walk and our typical playtime at the park. As much as I love going away, there is something to be said about the nice parts of daily life and routine.



Art By Helen Musselwhite