A Good Week

I was really dreading this week of solo parenting after the last time Andi was away for several days and Tory exhibited the worst behavior I've experienced as her mother to date. I thought she might have reached an age where she sensed Andi's absence, but wasn't able to completely understand that he'd eventually be back again. Most of all, I worried about enduring days upon days of whining, demands and tantrums, knowing how run-down and exhausted I felt by the end last time. It doesn't help any tantruming situation when I'm short on patience myself. 

But! This week has been glorious. Glorious! I will even say it's been one of my favorite weeks of parenting thus far. Tory has been so sweet and kind and happy this week -- every minute we've spent together has been a joy. Even last night when she was up three times during the night (what the heck is up with that, by the way?), I felt non-stressed enough to calmly get up and comfort her back to sleep again. No anger. No frustration. Just no big deal. Tory is still demonstrating an interest in doing things herself lately (putting on her own pants, pulling on her own shoes, etc.) and I've had more patience to deal with the extra time it takes to let her because we're both in better moods overall. 

On Tuesday, we played outside in the gorgeous summer-like weather we had this week. We rode bikes, played bubbles, wrote with sidewalk chalk and swam in her swimming pool. She was content to play semi-independently sometimes while I did the dishes or sat in my lawn chair alongside her and soaked up the sunshine.

I can't get enough of the way she blows bubbles by herself -- a forceful "phewww" blow until a soft bubble escapes her wand. Then Tory exclaims "pop!" as the bubble bursts into air. Over and over again. It's too cute for words.

Wednesday, I took Tory to church, knowing the last time Andi was out of town and I took her alone, I left the service half-way through and cried hard, frustrated tears the entire drive home. I braced for the worst and brought plenty of activities to keep her busy during the service. Surprisingly, Tory was so well behaved at church! I was so proud of her! Granted, she climbed around the pew bench a bit and sat on the floor between my legs coloring for a while, but at least she didn't scream and kick and I wasn't forced to drag her out of there like a completely incapable parent. I think this was progress! Ideally, she'd learn to sit nicely and color seated next to me but we'll get there eventually. She's only 1 1/2 years old I have to remember and the only way she'll learn how to behave is by continued exposure. Afterwards, we stopped to smell the daffodils outside church and my heart was so full of love for this little girl of mine. It's amazing to see the world discovered through her eyes.

 
I pre-arranged the grandparents to babysit Thursday afternoon to give myself a parental break, even if I didn't really feel like I needed it. I used my alone time to plant flowers in my yard and Tory enjoyed being the center of her grandparents' attention for a few hours. I was purely exhausted by the end of the day, but in a good way - a physical work accomplished way. It also felt good to check something off my to-do list and complete a big project like gardening from start to finish without interruption.

It was rainy and colder today so we stayed indoors and played with the same ol' toys we've been playing with all winter long. Tory seemed bored and was getting a little fussy, so I lined up all her stuffed animals and baby dolls on a blanket in the play room and we pretended to have a tea party for all of her friends. Tory was so excited about it and fed her dogs and bears and monkeys tea over and over again. I concentrated on being in the moment with her and enjoyed this sweet time together.

We made our weekly trip to the library this afternoon to pick up some new books to read. I love how familiar Tory has become with the library. She gave me the "shhhh" sign as we walked inside and ran right to the family play section. We picked out books and she helped me scan the bar codes with the machine. I'm just amazed at what a little sponge she is and how she remembers all our typical activities at the library. She's becoming quite the little person.

Tomorrow we trek to Iowa to meet up with my family and I'm hoping the good attitude vibes follow us the whole way there. I'm not as nervous about our trip as I was earlier in the week. Sure, there will be a few hairy moments, as there always is when traveling solo with a toddler, but I also know I can handle it.

Cheers to a great week!