I’m back from Parent’s Weekend, and everything is OK!

If you’ve followed my wacky life, you know I went on my first baby-free trip! 4 days and 4 nights of nothing but me & my husband.

I gotta say…. it. was. awesome. 10/10 I recommend it.

However, I think that’ll be the last (and first..) time. At least until babygirl is talking to me!

Our arrangement was simple:

Baby stays home, and my mom (“Gigi”) moves in. Everything she needs is already in its place, and my little love is comfortable here. This move paid off! No tears when I left or when I got home!

I was mostly worried to induce an after-school meltdown, on a 4-day scale. That was a scary thought, but we made it out!!

However, there were bound to be a few speed bumps. That’s cool with me. It’s blog fodder!

Going into the trip, I wanted to take notes on problems that would arise. What better way to help my fellow modern mamas?

But first, let me give a little background on this trip…

Why we did it

1. Daddy has been away at school, living through FaceTime anyway.
2. Mommy has been ran ragged since the working pregnancy. A couple of days off was necessary.
3. Baby is easygoing, routine-oriented, AND independent. She can entertain herself, she just needs someone to keep her fed and changed!
4. My mom has been under some stress and could use the baby time for some grandma therapy.
5. It is the perfect time! Baby is young enough (17 months) to not know how long I was gone.

What we got out of it

1. Mom & Dad got to play Husband & Wife. We both value our relationship so much, and we knew we needed to separate ourselves for the benefit of a long-lasting marriage!
2. Babygirl got a little change-up in her routine, and was able to bond with Gigi at the same time.
3. Each party (me, baby, grandma, and dad) learned something from this experiment.
   1. My husband learned that I really AM as cool as I once was 😉
   2. My mom learned that babygirl is much more work than she let herself believe.
   3. Babygirl learned to roll with the punches. Life goes on without mom or dad around the corner.
   4. And I learned which aspects of my child-rearing are most critical.

Having said THAT…

The bold… my child-rearing style has been what I would describe as Bohemian Robotics. That might sound crazy, but it works for me.

What I mean is, I’m a free spirit with an appreciation for alternative methods. But I know (and have seen) the power of routine.

When it comes to babies, routine is king.

How we get her to nap, where it happens, bedtime (time & method), what she eats, etc.

These are all aspects that are easily transferred onto another person… if the other person is willing to implement them.

Sadly, that was not my case. So I’m spending today (and probably tomorrow) correcting her schedule. I had other plans, but here we are!

On the bright side

We got exactly what we wanted out of this trip. No Ragrets!

Plus, the baby is not sick or beat up, so I’ll call that a win.

This blog fodder has so many ideas brewing, so I’ll be back on some topics that would make this “experiment” easier and more enjoyable!

I’m excited to be back in my blog-home, and keep you all posted on the goings-on out here 🙂