The good news is that it happened. We did it! She did it! They (the grandparents!) did it! We ALL DID IT!!!!!!! (I don't think there was any doubt from the grandparent front. I mean, they managed to raise five children and we're all alive and well today!).
So what was it then that made it seem like such an achievement to arrive on Sunday morning to a child (and parents/in-laws!) that still seemed to like us? LOVE US, even? Hmmmm....
Well, I think it all comes down to this:
WE ARE CRAZY. Crazy, crazy, paranoid first-timers in the big, scary world of parenting.
1) Most parents (I suspect) can't wait to get a second to themselves, but having been with Nory EVERY SECOND POSSIBLE while overseas - and not being used to the whole "family members want quality time with your child" thing - we've become quite familiar with being together often and we've come to love it. The possibility of us crying on the front porch as Nana and Grandpa pulled away with our little one in tow....well.....that MIGHT have happened. (Ah-hem, it 100% DID and the crying resumed INSIDE the house for at least 10 more minutes!)
2) Don't 17 month old's remember this stuff? You leaving them? Abandoning them for two whole nights? Don't they grow up to hate you over circumstances such as these ones? (Remember: I began this whole thing with "we're CRAZY").
3) There's nothing we hate more than inconveniencing other people. We don't want people to feel stressed out or upset or angry for any reason related to us. What if Nory cries? What if she gets sick? What if she won't eat? What if she's teething? What if she throws a toy and hits someone in the face? What if she smashes a piece of pottery on the ground? There are just so many scenarios that would leave us feeling REALLY, REALLY BADLY and it's not in us to cope.
4) We're skeptics. I mean, who ACTUALLY doesn't mind if they are up all night? Who ACTUALLY doesn't mind changing a dirty diaper? Who ACTUALLY doesn't mind running around the yard from morning to night, chasing a little one nonstop? I guess the answer is: GRANDPARENTS. And other people who love your daughter to pieces. These people - who are completely smitten by the same little person who leaves you completely smitten too - are also crazy. Because they say things like "it was an honour" when you retrieve your daughter from their house....
So anyways. We're crazy. You granddaughter-lovers are crazy. We're simply ALL CRAZY. All CRAZY IN LOVE with this tiny girl who's made our family a louder, happier, and busier one!
Thank you to Nana and Grandpa for looking after Nory so we could attend Aimee and Patrick's wedding this weekend. We really appreciate it! And thank you to everyone who has EVER offered to babysit but has yet to do so because - as I've mentioned a billion times - we're CRAZY, CRAZY, PARANOID FIRST-TIMERS IN THE BIG, SCARY WORLD OF PARENTING. Perhaps we'll start taking you up on those offers.............
Cheers to OUR VILLAGE! (Because it really does take a village to raise a child!)
So what was it then that made it seem like such an achievement to arrive on Sunday morning to a child (and parents/in-laws!) that still seemed to like us? LOVE US, even? Hmmmm....
Well, I think it all comes down to this:
WE ARE CRAZY. Crazy, crazy, paranoid first-timers in the big, scary world of parenting.
1) Most parents (I suspect) can't wait to get a second to themselves, but having been with Nory EVERY SECOND POSSIBLE while overseas - and not being used to the whole "family members want quality time with your child" thing - we've become quite familiar with being together often and we've come to love it. The possibility of us crying on the front porch as Nana and Grandpa pulled away with our little one in tow....well.....that MIGHT have happened. (Ah-hem, it 100% DID and the crying resumed INSIDE the house for at least 10 more minutes!)
2) Don't 17 month old's remember this stuff? You leaving them? Abandoning them for two whole nights? Don't they grow up to hate you over circumstances such as these ones? (Remember: I began this whole thing with "we're CRAZY").
3) There's nothing we hate more than inconveniencing other people. We don't want people to feel stressed out or upset or angry for any reason related to us. What if Nory cries? What if she gets sick? What if she won't eat? What if she's teething? What if she throws a toy and hits someone in the face? What if she smashes a piece of pottery on the ground? There are just so many scenarios that would leave us feeling REALLY, REALLY BADLY and it's not in us to cope.
4) We're skeptics. I mean, who ACTUALLY doesn't mind if they are up all night? Who ACTUALLY doesn't mind changing a dirty diaper? Who ACTUALLY doesn't mind running around the yard from morning to night, chasing a little one nonstop? I guess the answer is: GRANDPARENTS. And other people who love your daughter to pieces. These people - who are completely smitten by the same little person who leaves you completely smitten too - are also crazy. Because they say things like "it was an honour" when you retrieve your daughter from their house....
So anyways. We're crazy. You granddaughter-lovers are crazy. We're simply ALL CRAZY. All CRAZY IN LOVE with this tiny girl who's made our family a louder, happier, and busier one!
Thank you to Nana and Grandpa for looking after Nory so we could attend Aimee and Patrick's wedding this weekend. We really appreciate it! And thank you to everyone who has EVER offered to babysit but has yet to do so because - as I've mentioned a billion times - we're CRAZY, CRAZY, PARANOID FIRST-TIMERS IN THE BIG, SCARY WORLD OF PARENTING. Perhaps we'll start taking you up on those offers.............
Cheers to OUR VILLAGE! (Because it really does take a village to raise a child!)
I call dibs babysitting next!!! Xo
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