I have a confession to make. For the past year and a half, I have sort of been sleeping in. See, Husband works from home and has generally been the one to get up with Ethan in the morning. I believe it started way back in the days of post-partum depression when it was a survival mechanism to keep Mama in bed as long as possible. Because Husband has been working from home for the past several years, he's set his own schedule, which has enabled him to sleep in until Ethan wakes up. Because we are *gasp* co-sleepers, there was always time for cuddling and then Husband would dress Ethan and bring him along on his daily Starbucks run.
This left about 30 minutes for me to just....be. There was take-up-the-whole-bed snoozing, there was showering in complete privacy without a baby in a bouncy seat or a toddler trying to lift the toilet seat, there were a few moments to check email and read a blog or two.
At the end of the day, around 5pm, Husband simply strolled down the stairs to a chorus of "Dada! Dada!" and gave me a rest after a day of trying to keep up with Jumpy McRunnerson.
Yes, spoiled rotten brat. I know. There aren't many stay at home moms who can claim that they do nothing until approximately 9am on most week days. I always knew I had it good, but I didn't really realize how good until this morning.
See, coinciding with the switch back to Standard Time, Husband started a new job. A job that requires him to get up early, leave the house, drive to work and stay there all day long. And seeing as we live in the DC Metro area, driving to an office 5 miles from one's home can take an hour. So in the blink of an eye, my *shift* went from a 9-5 gig to a 12-hour mommy marathon.
Don't get me wrong. It wasn't a bad thing; I can honestly think of nothing I'd rather do with my time than spend it watching Ethan explore the world (although a beach-front, hot stone massage on a tropical island, followed by fruity drinks in the cabana does come in a close second). Ethan and I cuddled a bunch, had breakfast together and spent our day going from music class to park to musical performer at the local coffee shop.
But I can tell you that by the end of the day, he and I were both staring at each other like, "Where is that guy??!" Ethan is smack dab in the middle of a fierce Daddy-phase and he was so over me by 5:30. I don't take it personally; I totally get where he's coming from. By 5:30 or so, I am seriously in need of 10 minutes completely alone. We both get bit ornery with each other at that hour, but what with me being the adult and all, I try to power through by pulling yet another book out or pushing one more truck across the floor.
Husband rescued us from each other sometime between 6 and 6:30. There was much rejoicing. And my hats are off to the stay at home moms who have been doing those 12 hours (or more) a day, all on their own, since day one. I knew I had it good, but I had no idea.
3 comments:
Wow, your previous arrangement sounds like absolute heaven. And I totally know where you are coming from. Last night DH called and said he'd be twenty minutes late and I almost started crying.
Ben works like 3 minutes from home, so a late night means home by 5:08. BUT this last week, he's been traveling durnig the day and coming home at-- gasp-- 6:30, and I have been freaking out. I totally know what you mean about that last hour-- or THE LONGEST HOUR OF THE DAY. And a hot stone massage-- an excellent idea!!
I miss my mornings driving to starbucks with Squirmy-E. This morning I saw one of many dads who are 'regulars' with his son. Yes, I had a twinge of a tear in my eye as it marks the 'End of an Era...' Well at least I was able to score Fridays working from home. Yay!!! :-)
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