Adit was away for 2.5 weeks so it was just James and I during the week. I have never been away from him for so long, which is tough on it's own, but even more difficult when you solely have to take care of a toddler. I made arrangements with my boss and she agreed to let me break up my vacation days so that I could leave an hour early everyday to run errands, get groceries, make dinner etc. I was preparing for his departure, but nothing could compare to actually being faced with the situation. I was really scared and nervous wondering if I could do it on my own. I knew that my mom was coming to help me on the weekends, but how would I manage during the week? I was a wreck the night before Adit left and even cried. I had such a rush of emotions that I couldn't control myself. Adit reassured me that I would be fine so I managed to pull myself together and get some sleep.
Adit was there to help me the next morning before he left for Montreal. The morning went by like normal, but I was dreading the evening. I had most of my food prepared because my mom stocked the freezer so initially I wasn't too concerned about meals, but just being able to take care of James. Every night was basically the same, I'd leave work a little early, do my chores, pick James up from daycare, feed him, play with him, bathe and brush his teeth, massage him, dress him, read a million books then put him to sleep. James was pretty good except for eating and brushing his teeth. He had a phase when I thought he didn't want to take a bath, but then I realized that he was just bored and needed more toys, then I couldn't get him out of the tub.
The mornings were a different story, how was I to get myself ready for work and a toddler ready for daycare? I knew that I couldn't shower and allow him to roam around so I showered the night before. Once James woke up I got his milk ready and attempted to start the day unless he wanted to get back into bed and snuggle a little. Then we'd both brush our teeth, or he would eat toothpaste until I was finished and could pin him down and brush his teeth. After that I changed his diaper and dressed him. I would take him downstairs, give him breakfast and put the TV on so he could watch Imagination Movers. James is obsessed with this show so I knew I had about 20 mins to get dressed. I would quickly run upstairs and had my ears open listening for crying, or any sounds of mischief. He was pretty good so I was able to have do intervals of 5 mins of dressing with a 30 second quick check on James. We got into such a routine that I was leaving for work earlier than I was when Adit was here!
The weekends were great, I spent the first one home with my mom. We didn't do much because we were snowed in, but James had a great time with "Gra-ma". The next weekend was President's Day weekend or Family Day weekend for you Ontarians so we went to Manhattan and stayed with my mom. We drove on Sat afternoon during James nap so he slept most of the way, then that evening my brother and cousins came to visit and we had dinner. It was fun, but a late night for James especially since we had big plans to visit the Natural History Museum the next morning. Initially my mom was supposed to come too, but instead she stayed home and started preparing lunch for us when we returned. It was just my brother and I. He is notorious for sleeping in so when I told him we'll leave at 9am, I had my reservations that he might not be ready. Boy did he prove me wrong and he was early so that he could help with James. That was a pleasant surprise. After getting to the museum, James had a field day looking at the exhibits. His favorite by far were the African animals. He kept running and pointing and shouting all the different animal names. Elephant! Lions! Zebra! It was such a pleasure seeing the excitement in his eyes. I just wished Adit could have been there too.
James stated to get sleepy after dancing under the blue whale so we made a B line to the exit. It was about 28 degrees outside so we booted it back to the apartment. James was nice and warm in his stroller and quickly feel asleep. Since we've been in NJ he's only been in the stroller once, so I can see why people don't use it as much in the suburbs. Since James walks everywhere I thought he might not want to be in the stroller, but he ask to go in that day. In any case we headed back to NJ that evening and enjoyed the extra day off before work. My mom was so nice and came back to NJ with me then commuted from here to her job in Manhattan. Her normal commute was about 20 mins, but from NJ it was about an hour and 30 mins. She wanted to make sure James and I were ok and with her help we were. I owe my mom a tremendous thank you for all that she has done. Especially since we have moved to NJ, she comes to see us almost every weekend and is constantly cooking or helping while she is here. So thanks mom, we appreciate all that you do for us!
Before I knew it, I made it through the week and was waiting for Adit to come home on that Friday evening! I was so excited and anxious. The weather was bad on parts of his drive, but luckily he passed those towns earlier on the trip and the weather got better the further south he came so he didn't have to stay overnight on the road. I kept tracking him on Google Latitude to see where he was. It was a blessing and a curse, because I would refresh within minutes at times. In case you don't know about Latitude, with one's permission you can see the satellite location of that person's phone, I think that it's great for families. When James gets his own phone, he will have this. In any case, the last 30 minutes were the worst. James was already fast asleep, so I was just perched at the window waiting. When I saw the car pull up I ran to the door and gave him a big kiss and hug! Finally Adit was home!
I learned a lot about myself and am proud of the way that I managed mostly by myself while Adit was away. I knew that I had a responsibility to James and to myself and that I had no other option rather than doing. I have to hand it to single moms because raising a child is a lot of work, now I know why they say "It takes a village"! Valentine's day occurred while Adit was away and he sent me some beautiful flowers. He also sent a sweet card that I kept in my purse. That note helped me through the rough days and was a sweet reminder that he'd be back soon.
Now our family is back to normal and we are looking forward to the weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the time with your loved ones!
Happy reading!
Rachel
Adit was there to help me the next morning before he left for Montreal. The morning went by like normal, but I was dreading the evening. I had most of my food prepared because my mom stocked the freezer so initially I wasn't too concerned about meals, but just being able to take care of James. Every night was basically the same, I'd leave work a little early, do my chores, pick James up from daycare, feed him, play with him, bathe and brush his teeth, massage him, dress him, read a million books then put him to sleep. James was pretty good except for eating and brushing his teeth. He had a phase when I thought he didn't want to take a bath, but then I realized that he was just bored and needed more toys, then I couldn't get him out of the tub.
The mornings were a different story, how was I to get myself ready for work and a toddler ready for daycare? I knew that I couldn't shower and allow him to roam around so I showered the night before. Once James woke up I got his milk ready and attempted to start the day unless he wanted to get back into bed and snuggle a little. Then we'd both brush our teeth, or he would eat toothpaste until I was finished and could pin him down and brush his teeth. After that I changed his diaper and dressed him. I would take him downstairs, give him breakfast and put the TV on so he could watch Imagination Movers. James is obsessed with this show so I knew I had about 20 mins to get dressed. I would quickly run upstairs and had my ears open listening for crying, or any sounds of mischief. He was pretty good so I was able to have do intervals of 5 mins of dressing with a 30 second quick check on James. We got into such a routine that I was leaving for work earlier than I was when Adit was here!
The weekends were great, I spent the first one home with my mom. We didn't do much because we were snowed in, but James had a great time with "Gra-ma". The next weekend was President's Day weekend or Family Day weekend for you Ontarians so we went to Manhattan and stayed with my mom. We drove on Sat afternoon during James nap so he slept most of the way, then that evening my brother and cousins came to visit and we had dinner. It was fun, but a late night for James especially since we had big plans to visit the Natural History Museum the next morning. Initially my mom was supposed to come too, but instead she stayed home and started preparing lunch for us when we returned. It was just my brother and I. He is notorious for sleeping in so when I told him we'll leave at 9am, I had my reservations that he might not be ready. Boy did he prove me wrong and he was early so that he could help with James. That was a pleasant surprise. After getting to the museum, James had a field day looking at the exhibits. His favorite by far were the African animals. He kept running and pointing and shouting all the different animal names. Elephant! Lions! Zebra! It was such a pleasure seeing the excitement in his eyes. I just wished Adit could have been there too.
James stated to get sleepy after dancing under the blue whale so we made a B line to the exit. It was about 28 degrees outside so we booted it back to the apartment. James was nice and warm in his stroller and quickly feel asleep. Since we've been in NJ he's only been in the stroller once, so I can see why people don't use it as much in the suburbs. Since James walks everywhere I thought he might not want to be in the stroller, but he ask to go in that day. In any case we headed back to NJ that evening and enjoyed the extra day off before work. My mom was so nice and came back to NJ with me then commuted from here to her job in Manhattan. Her normal commute was about 20 mins, but from NJ it was about an hour and 30 mins. She wanted to make sure James and I were ok and with her help we were. I owe my mom a tremendous thank you for all that she has done. Especially since we have moved to NJ, she comes to see us almost every weekend and is constantly cooking or helping while she is here. So thanks mom, we appreciate all that you do for us!
Before I knew it, I made it through the week and was waiting for Adit to come home on that Friday evening! I was so excited and anxious. The weather was bad on parts of his drive, but luckily he passed those towns earlier on the trip and the weather got better the further south he came so he didn't have to stay overnight on the road. I kept tracking him on Google Latitude to see where he was. It was a blessing and a curse, because I would refresh within minutes at times. In case you don't know about Latitude, with one's permission you can see the satellite location of that person's phone, I think that it's great for families. When James gets his own phone, he will have this. In any case, the last 30 minutes were the worst. James was already fast asleep, so I was just perched at the window waiting. When I saw the car pull up I ran to the door and gave him a big kiss and hug! Finally Adit was home!
I learned a lot about myself and am proud of the way that I managed mostly by myself while Adit was away. I knew that I had a responsibility to James and to myself and that I had no other option rather than doing. I have to hand it to single moms because raising a child is a lot of work, now I know why they say "It takes a village"! Valentine's day occurred while Adit was away and he sent me some beautiful flowers. He also sent a sweet card that I kept in my purse. That note helped me through the rough days and was a sweet reminder that he'd be back soon.
Now our family is back to normal and we are looking forward to the weekend. Hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy the time with your loved ones!
Happy reading!
Rachel
