Sunday, November 26, 2017

Thanksgiving

Well, I survived a full week of non-stop childcare. Bobby’s been off school since last Friday, and Theo only had preschool two afternoons. And yet, it was really ok. I know I sound like a broken record, but boy are things easier when the toddler years are over. No more breastfeeding, diaper changes, or carrying of children. In fact it dawned on me that when we do long outings I should have the boys carry backpacks with their own toys, water bottles and changes of clothes so I can at last be free of the giant, heavy diaper bag full of all of their crap. We’ve already shed strollers and carriers. The giant mom bag would be the last holdover from the baby years. 

Despite putting little thought or planning into it, I managed to put together a nice Thanksgiving dinner for four adults and two children (the children of course refusing to eat anything). Then we had a couple of days of sightseeing with the whole family (sister and brother-in-law and another friend plus the BF and me) thanks to the BF’s new car which seats seven. 

Speaking of which, for the first time ever we have two cars with car seats. This is going to open a whole world of possibilities for us - having my car be the only one that can be used to pick up kids has made for some difficult finagling at times. I feel like we’re one (big) step closer to being a real family.

It’s funny how long this shit takes. I think it’s a result of being older and jaded - it takes forever to trust a person and really let them into your life. This man has lived with us for a year and been in our lives for 2 1/2 and yet I still find myself making contingency plans in case he’s not around some day. And, mind you, I know he’ll never leave me. But I do worry that something will happen to make me leave. What, I don’t know. But I know that I’m the less tolerant one and the one more comfortable with being single. Still, I sense some trepidation on both our parts. However, his being able to participate more in family life by having a suitable car with car seats, and finally getting health insurance, are big steps forward. 

It’s back to school tomorrow, and boy am I not looking forward to getting up early and hustling to school again! But I sure am looking forward to some alone time. The electrician starts rewiring the house Tuesday and I still have to do some modifications to the car, so it’s going to be a chaotic week. Then next Wednesday I leave for Italy for some singing work. Never a dull moment!







2 comments:

  1. Congratulations on surviving (and serving) Thanksgiving! Hooray for the Boyfriend getting a new car and carseats. Crazy that they have a dad. I can't even imagine. But I'm glad for you.

    I can't imagine not being jaded. I used to throw myself headlong into new romances but of course it's different when kids' lives are at stakes. Is he a full participant in the tasks of child rearing? How does it feel to share it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He participates only as much as he’s here, which is not very much. He works most nights and weekends, so we almost never have a meal together or spend an evening together. Most women would hate this, but I actually like it since most of the time I still have the parental control. We’ll see what happens if his schedule ever changes!

      Delete