Our Night Apart

Last night was a monumental night in our household. More for me than anyone else, I think. Last night was the first night that Autumn spent away from me. For the nine months that I carried her and the two and a half years that she has been here, we have never spent a night apart. I have been there for the bath, brushing teeth, story and kiss each and every night. Until last night.

Last night Autumn had a sleepover, with her cousins, at her Meme's house. She was excited to go and helped me pack her overnight bag. We picked out a pair of pajamas, an outfit for church, and made sure she had her pillow, favorite stuffed animal and both blankets she sleeps with. The only thing missing in her bag was me.

When it was time to leave the house and head over, Autumn excitedly grabbed her bag, needing both hands to carry it to the car. It was the same trip we have made a million times, but different. We got out of the car, went inside and dropped her off. As soon as she saw her cousins, she was off, and her sleepover had begun.

Steve and I left, a little unsure of what to do with ourselves. We have gone out without Autumn before, to dinner or a movie, but always with a time frame in mind. Tonight we had no curfew. It was a strange feeling to know that we could  go anywhere and do anything, I had forgotten what this felt like.

We ran a few errands and then decided to stop for a sit down dinner. We took our time eating, which is a luxury you do not always have with a two year old. We talked about what to do with the rest of our night and found ourselves both checking our phones to make sure we hadn't missed a called from Meme, saying Autumn wanted to come home.

After dinner we drove around town and then headed home. The second strange feeling came when we walked into our dark, quiet house, just the two of us. I walked into our bedroom and immediately went to turn on the baby monitor sitting next to our bed, only to realize my baby wasn't home. The monitor, like us, got to take a break and stayed off.

We stayed up late and slept in late.

Around 9:15 this morning the phone rang with a little voice on the other end. "Hi Mama!" I heard. And with that Autumn began to tell us about her night away.

As we hung up the phone, with that little voice still in my head, I realized that having no curfew was nice. Enjoying a relaxing meal with my husband was lovely. Driving around town with no where to be was freeing. But having my baby with me, as stressful as it can sometimes be, is priceless.

We both made it through our first night apart. Autumn had a great time with her cousins and I enjoyed my time, responsibility free, with Steve. I'm just not sure I am ready for sleepovers away to be a common occurrence, just yet.

Autumn and her overnight bag, ready to go!