Tonight Marcel and I went for a walk – JUST BECAUSE WE CAN! After eleven years of parenting, we have reached a new milestone. We can leave our children at home for short periods of time without a babysitter. Wow!
There were so many days in those eleven years when we felt like we would NEVER reach that magical day when the kids would be capable of staying home without us. All those nights when we dreamed of just going for a short walk together after a long day, and those weekends when we knew the best thing for our relationship would be date night but we hadn’t thought ahead to book a babysitter – well, they’re fading away and now it feels like barely any time at all has passed in between.
Just as we’d begun our walk, we passed the house of our neighbours M&J. Their drapes were open and we could see J trying on a new snuggli. M&J just gave birth to their first baby a few weeks ago. Marcel and I smiled as we walked past. Even though some days it felt like our kids would be dependent FOREVER and we’d never go for a walk alone again, other days it feels like just yesterday when we were in their shoes – trying on snugglis and rocking our new baby to sleep.
In the blink of an eye, it all changes and we enter a new stage in our lives. I love this stage just like I loved all the others. I don’t want to go back to where M&J are, nor do I want to rush ahead to where Linda is. I will enjoy this moment while it lasts.
P.S. Speaking of our firstborn, if anyone feels so inclined, you could wander on over to her blog (yes, she’s finally posted) and leave her a friendly comment – she’s feeling pretty disappointed about not making the developmental soccer league. She’s a pretty good soccer player, and (trying to be unbiased) I was a little surprised she didn’t make it too. Even her old coach was sure she should have made it.