Friday, May 30, 2008

Things to smile about today

Today is my fourth and final full day without A. I'm feeling a little down and missing him, plus I had a terrible drop-off with R at school (he had to be pried off of me while he was crying - heartbreaking!), so I thought I'd cheer myself up by focusing on the nice things.

Friends. This week, our friends "adopted" us for dinner for two nights, which helped a lot because the evenings have been the time when I've been exhausted and losing my patience with R. On Wednesday night, R and his friend Z rode bikes for nearly an hour on Z's cul de sac. And, yesterday, we spent three hours at the park with assorted friends, which was wonderful for R and for me. We got fresh air, exercise, and had social time.

Weather and nature. It has been absolutely gorgeous this week! Sunny, warm, and breezy. We took a walk to the library yesterday morning, and spent a lot of time along the way looking at bugs and plants, and looking for shady spots on the sidewalk. At the park, R found an inchworm that he wanted to keep and bring home. He called him Inchy. He put Inchy inside his little Eiffel Tower keychain, along with some bits of leaves to eat. Every few minutes, R would run back from playing to check on Inchy. Inchy eventually made his way out of the tower, and R was okay with that. We also spent time in the yard, and R picked me a tiny bouquet of flowers.


Books. R and I found some of my old favorites at the library, and we read them at bedtime. He loved Amelia Bedelia and Frog & Toad. This morning, he begged me to read The Lorax before we headed out to school (which I did). I love all the questions he has and the theories he develops about the stories.


R's thoughtfulness. Last week, R picked out a bouquet of flowers for me at Costco, and I've been enjoying them ever since. And, he keeps telling me how I'm the best mom/woman in the world and his best friend. Or how delicious lunch or dinner is. Those compliments never get old!


And, of course, the biggest thing that kept me smiling this week was R. He's my little buddy, and I'm blessed to be his mom.


I'm also very thankful for A. This week has made me realize how much we rely on each other to get through each day. And, although I'm proud of myself for managing things this week without him, I'm counting the hours until he's home again.

4 comments:

sandwhichisthere said...

Sweetheart,
if I remember the Lorax correctly, it should be required reading for everyone on the planet. You are doing all of the right things. Rix will grow to be a true Homo Sapiens with a sapient brain,
all of my love, always, daddy

Cap'n Slappy said...

Oh, Inchy!!!! Trapped in the Eiffel tower! I hear a children's book here!(Calvin had "Sluggy" this weekend, who he walked around with saying "this is an awesome slug" while I followed 2 steps behind him with hand sanitizer-Sluggy was released to go back to his family, who REALLY missed him, especially when he started to stink). I'm glad you got through your single parent shift- pictures are beautiful- Rix looks so much more like you every year, can't wait to see him again!

Greg C said...

Great post today. It't the times when our loved ones are gone that make us miss them more

LEstes65 said...

I'm trying to catch up. Dude, I am TOTALLY in love with R's bed!!! Gorgeous.