My Fresh Hell
Life in Scribbletown.

Simply Red

2006-04-05

Oh my god. I was putting Red to sleep last night, nursing her and humming my little lullaby medley and I realized that I was actually leaving in two days. Leaving her for a week! A whole week! What the hell was I thinking? I've never been away from either child that long before. My longest time away from Dusty was a two-night trip to Bryn Mawr to speak at a conference. It was hell. I missed her so much, I couldn't even enjoy the time I spent alone in an ancient, creepy, creaky B&B room on campus.

And, even though I'm looking forward to the trip and will have Dusty with me...I'll be leaving Red behind.

(*sob*)

My brain is not so twisted as to think she'll forget me. No. What I worry about is that this parting may indeed be the end of breastfeeding. Forever. Will Red want to nurse anymore when I return? Even though it's just a bedtime thing? And no actual milk is involved anymore? Will she be so used to her "new" routine that she won't look back? Can this be it?

I hope not.

But, in honor of my dear Red, here is a recent listing of her wacky "Good Baby" hijinks. (Lately, there hasn't been anything for the Bad Baby column!):

Good Baby

� Said "bad baby" and "baby" today.
� Saw a banana in her Word Book and ran to the fruit bowl wanting a banana.
� Picked up toy phone and said, "Hi!"
� Fun with bug pull-toy.
� Wore plastic containers on head as hats.
� Fabulous puzzler.
� Made own fun with plastic containers.
� Lots of giggling when picked up.
� Enjoyed sandbox lid ride [inverted, it's like a boat].
� Wore two pairs of pants for fun.
� Sat on her potty while I sat on mine.

Golly, I'm gonna miss that kid!

My sister will be making an appearance in the FreshHell household while I'm away to give Red someone new to play with for a bit and give my husband an hour or two of Red-free time to...do whatever. My mother, on the other hand, is making life difficult. As usual. I'll spare you the details but let's just say that no good favor goes unpunished. She is just absolutely unable to do something nice/helpful without any strings attached. Ever.

So, while traveling makes me nervous (and, no, it's not the actual flying that I�m worried about, it's the one million details and the logistical nightmare of travel in which anything can and probably will go wrong � flights not leaving on time; bad information; longer layovers than expected; bad seatmates; sitting in an airplane seat for 6 hours, with a five-year-old; inappropriate in-flight movie, etc., etc.), I'm looking forward to the destination. I'm excited to see my aunt and uncle, my two cousins and their four children. I'm relishing the time with my aunt � long conversations over wine or/and beer where, perhaps, she will help me understand WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH MY MOTHER!

Check back for any updates I may have time to make � and a possible Mystery Guest Entry! � over the next week. I'll be back (I will, won't I?) soon!!

|

11:38 a.m. ::
prev :: next