August 31, 2011

quiet on the homefront

At 5:30 this morning, I watched Will and the kids climb into a cab and head to the airport without me. They are off to spend five days with Will's mom and grandparents in Kentucky, leaving me behind to catch up on the pile of work that I've been not doing while Will was busy at school and totally avoiding while he was free on break. Ahem. Procrastination maybe?
The apartment is eerily quiet. And not, everybody is sleeping quiet. Then, at least, there are those soft, muffled sounds of dreaming and tossing and snoozing. Right now it is just plain silent. The dog and cat are sitting on either side of my chair staring at me.

I think this is the first time that both kids have been gone, ever, when I'm not. When we scheduled this trip it seemed like a good idea, they get some alone time with daddy (and assorted grandparents) and I get some solid work time. But oh, it's so quiet. And there is no one to crawl into bed with me in the morning with tousled hair and that lovely sweaty, sleepy child smell. Although Evelyn did kindly leave her pink monkey for me, to keep me company.

After spending five days in a tent, car or hotel room together, it feels very lonely to be here all by myself. I've got more work than I can possibly get done before they get back to do and a whole city that I can, like, explore without children (holy cow, the thought of it! I can go to a museum and actually look at things!) but I'm already ready for them to be back.

What a wimp I've turned out to be.