Home alone
I'm home alone today!
This may not sound like a big deal, but it's like my birthday and Christmas and Mother's Day all rolled into one event. I'm stuck close to home because I'm on call for work, and Jason took our daughter Ellie to a family wedding a couple of hours away. Normally, being on call is not cause for celebration for me, but this is the longest stretch of time that I've had the house to myself since we came home from China with our daughter. My husband is a stay-at-home dad, so whenever I'm home, he and Ellie are here too.
I've been a pediatrician for over ten years, so I've heard a lot of stories and received many pearls of wisdom about parenting. Some of these have proved invaluable as I've navigated my way through my own first experience as a mother. I was prepared for the loss of my social life and my free time, ready to get rid of many items of furniture and household accessories, and resigned to having my home forever resembling a toy store that's been hit by a tornado. I also figured that a good night's sleep was a thing of the past. These things came as no surprise to me, and I understood that it was all for the best of causes.
However, there were a few items that no one saw fit to warn me about. No one told me, for instance, that I would never again go to the bathroom by myself, or enjoy a hot beverage before it was stone cold, or eat a nice family meal using both hands and a knife. Most of all, no one ever mentioned how much I'd miss the peace and quiet of being alone in the house. As an older first-time mom, I had grown accustomed to (dependent on?) my "alone" time. I loved curling up on the couch with the dog, sipping a cup of hot tea and reading a mystery novel, with no one to make demands on me.
Being home alone for over six hours was just like a little slice of heaven. I started to do some housework, then realized that I could do that any time when Ellie and Jason were home. Then I started to write this blog, and realized the same thing. I finally came to my senses, and settled down on the couch with the dog, sipping a cup of hot tea and reading a mystery novel.
This may not sound like a big deal, but it's like my birthday and Christmas and Mother's Day all rolled into one event. I'm stuck close to home because I'm on call for work, and Jason took our daughter Ellie to a family wedding a couple of hours away. Normally, being on call is not cause for celebration for me, but this is the longest stretch of time that I've had the house to myself since we came home from China with our daughter. My husband is a stay-at-home dad, so whenever I'm home, he and Ellie are here too.
I've been a pediatrician for over ten years, so I've heard a lot of stories and received many pearls of wisdom about parenting. Some of these have proved invaluable as I've navigated my way through my own first experience as a mother. I was prepared for the loss of my social life and my free time, ready to get rid of many items of furniture and household accessories, and resigned to having my home forever resembling a toy store that's been hit by a tornado. I also figured that a good night's sleep was a thing of the past. These things came as no surprise to me, and I understood that it was all for the best of causes.
However, there were a few items that no one saw fit to warn me about. No one told me, for instance, that I would never again go to the bathroom by myself, or enjoy a hot beverage before it was stone cold, or eat a nice family meal using both hands and a knife. Most of all, no one ever mentioned how much I'd miss the peace and quiet of being alone in the house. As an older first-time mom, I had grown accustomed to (dependent on?) my "alone" time. I loved curling up on the couch with the dog, sipping a cup of hot tea and reading a mystery novel, with no one to make demands on me.
Being home alone for over six hours was just like a little slice of heaven. I started to do some housework, then realized that I could do that any time when Ellie and Jason were home. Then I started to write this blog, and realized the same thing. I finally came to my senses, and settled down on the couch with the dog, sipping a cup of hot tea and reading a mystery novel.
posted by Jeanne @ 6:49 PM
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