You guys,
There’s nothing like traveling to disrupt a 2-year-old’s rigid routine.
My in-laws are getting ready to sell their house, so we flew to New York for one final farewell to Sam’s childhood home.
George, my usually great sleeper, refused to nap and fought bedtime.
We sat together at 7:15pm, his books splayed out on the floor around us and George on my lap. As I read out loud Goodnight, Little Blue Truck, I noticed George’s head nod forward and his breath got heavy. When I peeked around to look at his face, his eyes were closed.
I closed the book. “OK bud, bedtime.”
His eyes snapped open. “No. Boo.” (Which sounds like ‘book’ without the ‘k’.)
I read him another book and he fell asleep again.
This was a first.
The lack of sleep resulted in many meltdowns and break times. Break time occurs when George does something we tell him not to do, like press all the buttons on the microwave or bop his sister over the head. One of us carries him upstairs to his room and we sit together until he calms down. Because George doesn’t like break time or being taken away from the thing we told him not to do, it can take a long time for him to stop screaming and crying.
Eventually he does. Often, I ask if he would like a hug and he says yes. But this weekend I got a lot of no’s.
After George finally fell asleep at the end of the day, Sam and I collapsed onto one of his parents’ old, ornate sofas. We were beaten down.
How could one 2-year-old boy drain us so completely?
The next day, we left our babies with their grandparents in Long Island while Sam and I took the train into the city and stayed at his parents’ Chelsea apartment.
We were kid-free for 24 hours.
I was itching to get away, exhausted by George and eager for our own much needed break time.
Transitions can be hard for George, especially when it means separation from us. All morning long, we told him we were leaving for the night and he and Layla were going to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa.
As we got ready to leave and put our suitcase by the door, George nodded his understanding. I asked for a hug and kiss. He has never hugged me so tightly, and when we pulled away from each other, he grabbed my face in both his hands and kissed me firmly on the lips.
Sam and I walked down the driveway. When we reached the sidewalk we turned around one last time.
Sam’s Dad stood in the window, holding George. The two of them smiled and waved to us.
How could one 2-year–old boy melt our hearts so completely?
WoP Magic
During our quick city visit, we had dinner with two of my online writer friends, Michael and Flo. It was our first time meeting IRL.
Zoom calls are awesome. I love not leaving my house. But there’s no replacing a real-life hug and a meal shared between friends.
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Until next week,
Charlie