Our first overnight sans baby

This past weekend Will and I went to our good friend Maria’s wedding and left Nathan… overnight! We had known about the wedding since before Nathan was born and had always planned on this being our first time leaving him since he would be 4 months old by then and it seemed like a good time to do it. I wouldn’t have wanted to leave him much younger than that but I also didn’t want to wait too long because I was afraid we might keep putting it off and never do it. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for Will and I to have a nice night out... and a night off :)

For weeks leading up to it, I wavered between excited and terrified. The longest I had ever been apart from my baby was about 8 hours and even then I couldn't wait to see him. My parents were coming from Boston to stay with him so I knew he’d be in good hands. But I was nervous. Not only for Nathan but for Will and I and for my parents.

I was nervous that Nathan might suspect something was off and reject the bottle and starve. I was nervous that Will and I, who are used to being with Nathan all the time, wouldn’t be able to fully relax and enjoy the night. And I was nervous that my parents, although having raised 4 kids of their own, aren't used to being with Nathan all the time and might have forgotten over the past 25 years how needy a 4 month old is and feel overwhelmed. (Especially since Nathan still wakes up 2-3 times at night to feed.)

But… we all survived.

Will and I had a great time. Although I was very sad to leave Nathan and very anxious as we drove away, I actually felt myself getting more and more excited the further we drove. It was as if an adorable 14 pound weight had been lifted out of my arms… for one night anyway. We had a great time at the wedding; we got to see lots of friends that we once worked with at Scholastic. We ate, we drank, we danced and then back at the hotel after the reception, we ordered room service, rented a movie and quickly fell asleep, completely missing the after party.

Nathan did great. He went to the playground and for a long walk. He drank all his bottles. And he was happy and smiling (and in one piece) when we got home the next day.

And my parents did great. They texted me photos to let us know Nathan was fine. They told me to have fun and NOT to call to check up, that they promised they would call if there was any problem, otherwise I could rest assured knowing everything was going fine. And my mom woke up in the middle of the night when Nathan woke, hungry and crying.

As we drove toward home, I couldn't wait to see my little man. I had been away away from him for just over 24 hours and was definitely in withdrawal. However, the night away was a success and I'm already thinking that maybe next time we'll go away for an entire weekend!