Leaving Baby Overnight for the First Time

Happy New Year!  2010 is a new beginning for us as parents and for Henry as a baby.  He is now 1 year old.  His birthday coincided with weaning.  He’s also no longer allergic to dairy or eggs, on the verge of walking (maybe), drinking cow’s milk (sort of), smiling constantly, pointing at everything he finds interesting, waving bye-bye consistently, developing bad habits, climbing everything with a step, sprouting more hair, and cutting more teeth (4 on top and 3 on bottom).

We also left Henry overnight (2 nights) for the first time.  It was the day after his birthday.  A wedding in the frozen tundra of St Paul, Minnesota dragged us away.  Initially, we had planned to take Henry with us, as the wedding fell on the weekend of his birthday.  But after thinking through the strategy of getting a babysitter at the hotel for three nights, and an offer from his grandparents to keep him, we decided to leave him in Milwaukee.  I was understandably apprehensive about leaving him, but knew that his grandparents (who have 6 grandchildren) were the perfect caregivers for our first time away.  I laid out Henry’s meticulous sleeping and eating schedule, which I’m sure was obsessive and controlling.  I wept some tears and gave him a million hugs and kisses.

Over the weekend we called once a day to check in.  Everything was fine.  He never cried for us, ate relatively well and slept like a rock.  We returned to find our baby boy in perfect condition.  He didn’t have any scratches or new bruises, which was amazing considering he loves climbing the stairs at Aggy (grandma) and Grandpa’s house.  He had even learned a few things!  He may have picked up a bad habit of whining to get out of his high chair, as Aggy took that as a sign that he was done, but it was all worth it!  I had 2 whole nights without my baby, and although I missed him terribly, it felt amazingly liberating.  Flying without a baby is definitely something most people take for granted.  I napped, read my book, “Open” by Andre Agassi, and reveled in the fantastic people watching.  We started off 2010 with new independence and reassurance that this new year will be filled with milestones, love, hugs, kisses, learning, smiles, laughs, sleep, and fun.