Return from Paradise...

We are back from Hawaii. Getting back into the grind again is tough...I can simply shut my eyes and still feel like we are sitting next to the pool, or on the beach, or just relaxing...and then the damn eyes open again and, well, not so much. This morning when I was getting The Boy dressed for school he insisted on wearing his sandals. Apparently he isn't ready to join the world of "those who must wear socks" yet either.

The plane ride home was as good as the flight over. We took off late and didn't arrive back in Silicon Valley until almost 11:00pm. The Boy slept from 7:00pm until 9:00pm on the plane, so he was in NO mood to sleep. And once we arrived home (around 11:30pm), he needed to go around the house and make sure that ALL of his toys were still there. He was so excited to see them. The day before we left Hawaii he started asking if we could "go back a Mommy's house; see toys" so I knew he was ready. Whereas I was thrilled to see my bed and my house still standing, he just wanted to make sure that no one had stolen his garbage truck or his tools while he was gone. When I put him in bed (at around midnight, god help me) he said to me, "Mommy, I yike a my bed," and then he layed his little head down and went to sleep. So sweet. I did make it to work, and he to school today, but we were about an hour late. Based on when he fell asleep I decided to let him sleep later than usual and called my client and told him I would be in an hour late. Plus when The Boy woke up, he still had more checking on his toys to do. While we were in Hawaii we carried around a portable DVD player (btw, if you are traveling and don't have one of these...GET ONE!!! Seriously the best thing ever, he watched it in the hotel before naps, and even if we were having a leisurely dinner I would prop it up on the table in front of him and he would sit happily in his high chair and watch it while we finished dinner...and no, he doesn't get to do this normally; just on vacation) and by far his favorite movie of the trip was Toy Story. Who knows why, but he watched it a zillion times. And when we got home? He wanted me to locate RIGHT NOW his Buzz Lightyear toy. Of course before we left, he hadn't picked up Buzz for like 6 months so I had no idea where it was. And at midnight last night? Yeah, wasn't the time to start searching. So last night I told him I would find it for him sometime today (meaning after work and school, kid). This morning when he woke up the first thing out of his mouth, I mean seriously right away, was "Mommy you find Buzz?" How can one resist? So there I was at 9:00am, half dressed, with my pregnant belly hanging all out there, searching through boxes until I found his precious toy. And after I found it? "Tank you Mommy, tank you. Tank you so much, I needed Buzz, tank you..." So fucking sweet he kills me.

I said it in my previous post but it merits saying again. What an amazing trip and time this was with my son. I get all weepy just thinking about it. I had 6 days and 6 night with nothing to do but allow my son's desires to dictate where we went and what we did. We played in the sand (but NO beach thank you very much. "No see water Mommy, you go get bucket a me Mommy. I no yike da water), we played in the pool, we walked all over the beautiful grounds and looked at flowers, we discovered The Boy's love of taking pictures with my camera (and he has a damn good shot for a 3 year old...I will post a couple of his pics later), we walked along the beach at night and enjoyed the hysterically fun game of "chase Poppy's shadow," we ate pringles for breakfast and strawberries for dinner and popcorn in between... I could make that run-on sentence last forever because that's what this week felt like. It felt like forever. Like a forever full of amazing memories for me that I can hold onto for the rest of our lives. My little boy is such an amazingly funny, and sweet and special little dude. He never once cried, he never once threw a fit, he never once did anything other than charm the shit out of everyone he encountered the entire week. Myself included.

Call me crazy, but I have never been one of those moms that wished that she could have the finances to be a stay at home mom. It is my opinion that SAHM's work a hell of a lot harder on any given day than I do at work. And for me, I am able to make my own work schedule so I don't work a lot. With that, I felt like I had found the perfect balance of child time vs. adult time and brain stimulation time. I never wished it to be any different. This week I got it. I understand. I have learned how absolutely amazing it is to be able to spend your entire day with your child. What a gift. That doesn't mean I still don't think it is an assload of hard work, but I finally get it. These little beings that we are helping to shape into their own people can be amazing. And the gift of being able to spend time/witness that shaping? Priceless. I will never forget this week that we had and the time that I was given with my boy.

Okay, now back to the grind...time to head off to another client. Aloha!