My mom came into town last night and, thank god, because I haven't entirely shaken that funk I was in earlier in the week. And to add to that funk, my patience with Alice and our daily routine has been threadbare lately, making for long days for both of us.
But now Grandma Julie is here and has taken over the morning playtime with Alice. She has read her half a dozen books (a few more than once), she has sung songs on demand (Alice likes the wheels on the bus in heavy rotation), and she sat with her outside on the deck looking for passing buses while Lee and I enjoyed breakfast and coffee together.
Having help with Alice in the form of family living near us is a luxury I am definitely not used to. I imagine it will take some time to relinquish control of my days caring for Alice but I'm sure once I get a taste of regular Friday night dates with Lee and Saturday morning mountain bike rides with friends, I'll quickly get used to leaving her with her grandparents for a few hours.
Do you have family nearby to help with taking care of your kids? Life-savers or bothersome?
This is the most difficult part of being a military family. Before we were parents, we saw our families 1-2 times a year, and that was manageable.
ReplyDeleteNow, not so much. We feel guilty for having him so far away from both sets of grandparents and we would love a break.
I look forward to next year, when everyone will be a 4-5 hour flight away (or less) and not 8-9 ours and 1400+ dollars.
I am enjoying my visit with all of you. I love the way you and your husband are teaching Alice to love books and music. She is such an intelligent little girl. She has taught me a few things too. Like her sign language... especially the symbol for 'more' and 'again'. So smart! xoxo
ReplyDeleteWe have some family close but our girl won't let anyone else even hold her (at 10 months) much less let them watch her. :) Enjoy the help when you can and let it refresh you for those many wonderful moments you and Alice do have together.
ReplyDeleteMy parents left yesterday after being here for three weeks. We've had three weeks of an entertained baby, clean kitchen, help with the garden, date nights & nights out with friends. Lulu cried when we dropped them at the airport. Hopefully they'll be able to do a long visit each year as it sure was nice for Lulu to see them on a daily basis. You won't know yourself when you move back to SLC!
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