Thanks to Nanna and P-Pa and the best $15 ever spent
This post has been a long time coming. In mid-March Bianca had a work trip in Dallas. We originally thought it was in Austin, around the time of SXSW, which would have been amazing, but Dallas in March isn't a great place for kids. So we opted to stay home while Mom went. It was also about the time Nanna and P-Pa were going to come visit. They had planned for Valentine's Day weekend, but Mother Nature contacted their travel agent and canceled the trip.
They arrived on Sunday, as Mom was flying out the next day. It was incredibly nice of them to come. Work had been stressful for me and the winter had been brutal. Having them at home, with Isaac, meant that this entirely new thing--Mom not being around--would be all that much easier. It also meant I didn't have to worry about rearranging my work schedule to do the two hour ride in and out of Worcester to pick up Isaac and drop him off. It probably wasn't ESSENTIAL to have the help, but it made the entire experience a net positive instead of a net negative.
Mom left Monday and Isaac, Nanna, and P-Pa stayed home while I went to work. I would get pictures throughout the day and everyone seemed blissfully happy. That evening, things were tough. Isaac and Bianca FaceTimed which sent him into a spiral of tears right around bed time.
But I had a trick up my sleeve. Isaac had just started getting into Epic in mid-March and the Leafmen had long bows. We also had just finished reading Robin Hood, and they too had long bows. Finally, Isaac and I were (and still are) working our way through Injustice, a video game with Green Arrow, who, if you couldn't guess, has a long bow. Desperate, I resorted to the parent's best behavior modification tactic--bribery. I told Isaac that if he were a good boy, he'd get a REAL shooting long bow on Thursday, the day Bianca got home. With that promise, and a good bath/reading, he went to bed easily. I was nervous the whole night as this was my first time without Bianca but with Isaac, but Nanna was ready to fill in if I-man woke up in the night.
Dawn on Tuesday was a good thing. Isaac slept through the night and again, he had a great day playing with his grandparents. Its worth mentioning here that they have done an amazing job staying connected with Isaac, so much so, that when they are around they just fit right into Isaac's world as if they are always around and not 827 miles away. Tuesday night we decided to go out to dinner. Trying to find a local place that was kid friendly, a sit down place, and not Panera, we went to TGI Fridays. Unfortunately, I got a mild case of food poisoning. Worse yet, it didn't really hit me until I was at work the next day, Wednesday. It was a packed day with three courts, so I couldn't really call in sick, so I just plowed on through.
Wednesday night we skipped the FaceTime and Isaac was a dream. He and I talked about the long bow and he was ready to go down. There wasn't a single hitch in the routine and again he went to sleep easily. Before I went to sleep I grabbed the long bow and set it by his door. Again he slept through the night.
I woke up on Thursday and showered. By the time I was done Isaac was waking up. I poked my head in expecting to see a sleepy head. The moment the door cracked open his head shot up and he said: "Where's my long bow." Ready, I swung around and gave it to him. We both breathed a sigh of relief--we had made it, Mom was coming home today.
in P-Pa's bed watching Tom and Jerry with his best buddy. Its amazing how out of date Tom and Jerry are and while I worry about the latent racism, I am fairly certain Isaac only notices the cartoon violence, which is absolutely hilarious to a three year old (and a 36 year old and a 63 year old).
They arrived on Sunday, as Mom was flying out the next day. It was incredibly nice of them to come. Work had been stressful for me and the winter had been brutal. Having them at home, with Isaac, meant that this entirely new thing--Mom not being around--would be all that much easier. It also meant I didn't have to worry about rearranging my work schedule to do the two hour ride in and out of Worcester to pick up Isaac and drop him off. It probably wasn't ESSENTIAL to have the help, but it made the entire experience a net positive instead of a net negative.
Mom left Monday and Isaac, Nanna, and P-Pa stayed home while I went to work. I would get pictures throughout the day and everyone seemed blissfully happy. That evening, things were tough. Isaac and Bianca FaceTimed which sent him into a spiral of tears right around bed time.
But I had a trick up my sleeve. Isaac had just started getting into Epic in mid-March and the Leafmen had long bows. We also had just finished reading Robin Hood, and they too had long bows. Finally, Isaac and I were (and still are) working our way through Injustice, a video game with Green Arrow, who, if you couldn't guess, has a long bow. Desperate, I resorted to the parent's best behavior modification tactic--bribery. I told Isaac that if he were a good boy, he'd get a REAL shooting long bow on Thursday, the day Bianca got home. With that promise, and a good bath/reading, he went to bed easily. I was nervous the whole night as this was my first time without Bianca but with Isaac, but Nanna was ready to fill in if I-man woke up in the night.
Dawn on Tuesday was a good thing. Isaac slept through the night and again, he had a great day playing with his grandparents. Its worth mentioning here that they have done an amazing job staying connected with Isaac, so much so, that when they are around they just fit right into Isaac's world as if they are always around and not 827 miles away. Tuesday night we decided to go out to dinner. Trying to find a local place that was kid friendly, a sit down place, and not Panera, we went to TGI Fridays. Unfortunately, I got a mild case of food poisoning. Worse yet, it didn't really hit me until I was at work the next day, Wednesday. It was a packed day with three courts, so I couldn't really call in sick, so I just plowed on through.
Wednesday night we skipped the FaceTime and Isaac was a dream. He and I talked about the long bow and he was ready to go down. There wasn't a single hitch in the routine and again he went to sleep easily. Before I went to sleep I grabbed the long bow and set it by his door. Again he slept through the night.
I woke up on Thursday and showered. By the time I was done Isaac was waking up. I poked my head in expecting to see a sleepy head. The moment the door cracked open his head shot up and he said: "Where's my long bow." Ready, I swung around and gave it to him. We both breathed a sigh of relief--we had made it, Mom was coming home today.
in P-Pa's bed watching Tom and Jerry with his best buddy. Its amazing how out of date Tom and Jerry are and while I worry about the latent racism, I am fairly certain Isaac only notices the cartoon violence, which is absolutely hilarious to a three year old (and a 36 year old and a 63 year old).
As I left for work that morning, I realized just how amazing the people around me are--Isaac for being a big boy and making it through the three days, my parents for re-arranging their lives to help out, and Bianca for how much she gets done everyday and still has time to take care of I-man and I. Finally, a pro-tip for you parents--bribery is your best friend.