The Only

Hannah and I were able to be "only children" this past week and it was wonderful. My parents had an unexpected extra room at the beach and called to offer room to whomever could fit. After much deliberation, my husband decided to give me a "Mother's Week". I took Hannah to the beach and Brandon stayed here with the oldest three. (Can you tell what a good deal this was for me?). I spent the week enjoying Mom and Dad without interruptions. We rode bikes, took walks, sat at the beach together, ate meals....it was great. Hannah came along easily and was pleased as punch to be the center of entertainment for most activities. Hannah and I loved every minute of it. I think we both felt like princesses for the week. I was so glad to have less moving parts for which to be responsible, no meals to plan. I loved to be able to go and do things so easily. Hannah enjoyed the attention. We were all able to watch and listen to her and she is really quite good at communicating. We clapped for her, we watched her every move and tried to understand each grunt, each pointing finger.

I drove home yesterday. Brandon had done an amazing job. The kids were well and the house was orderly. He walked out the door as I walked in, trying to catch up on work before the weekend. A few hours later I found myself with the house once again messy, multiple children crying, Hannah trying to injure herself by attempting acrobatics, dinner needing to be made....I wanted to sit down and cry. It is hard to shift speeds after getting to be so slow and quiet. I did realize I had better patience, calmer words....But I sure miss that beach air today!