with just one

A couple of weeks ago, right before I came down with the flu and was housebound for nearly two weeks, the three big kids went to Ocracoke with my mom, leaving Tom and I with only Alamae for five days straight.

Now when you only have one child, having one child seems like quite a lot of work. Back when there was only Sena, five days straight with only Sena felt like life. A life that had difficult moments and joyful moments of joy, but very few relaxing moments.

However, once you add three more kids to the mix, going down to just one is relaxing. So relaxing that you invite yourself to your best friends' apartment for a sleepover/ mini-vacation because what's one, single kid?

We ate Mexican food and stayed up late drinking tequila and walked for coffees the next morning. We ate a beautiful breakfast on their sun-streaked dining room table and then explored their antique store when they had to go open their doors.

But really, the time spent with just one daughter was actually far more profound than a great weekend. It was about getting to see Alamae for who she is without the influence or distraction of older siblings. It gave me time to tickle her toes and carry her around on my shoulders and decipher her words. It gave me the space to fall deeply in love with my two year old girl.

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This Weekend We

It was a deliriously wonderful birthday weekend. It started on Friday with a donut castle with three cheerful candles. It continued on with a house cleaning courtesy of my mom and aunt. Then Tom cleaned my car, and we drove off to Annapolis to drink cocktails with our friends, and be treated to dinner at my very favorite downtown restaurant. It was extravagant. Decadent. Joyful. And then, then, we found more friends and we danced in a too crowded bar, dodging elbows and parting for passing patrons. And still, on top of all that, there was time for a fire back in the comfy confines of their perfectly dressed apartment.

That would have been enough, but the weekend kept coming. Our friends drove down from Boston, and our house vibrated with the energy of seven kids, that for a brief period grew to nine. They broke off into rotating pairs. Played with swords. Formed crushes. 

The next day we went to make the most of their trip to the Chesapeake.  We showed up at the Calvert Marine Museum to discover that admission was free, and there were extra activities and vendors there in honor of Patuxent River Appreciation Days. The kids built wooden boats that we brought down to the beach that afternoon to sail down the channel and catch before they left for sea.  The sun turned the brackish water to gold, and there was not one thing about those two hours I would change for money or power.

It was more than I could ask for. More than anyone deserves. After an altogether unpleasant Tuesday, it's good to be reminded what good feels like. I am willing myself back to Friday, the first day of my new year, when I felt deep in my bones, that this year is bound to be a good one. 

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