Peter’s First Sleepover

Sunday before last, I went to Fort Worth to keep Peter while April was spending time with her mom, who was having a couple of medical procedures done on Monday and Wednesday. Hah!

Monday, all of Fort Worth woke up to sleet and snow and freeeeezing temperatures and no work or school or traveling, and certainly no medical procedures. So, the only thing that happened was that Peter got bundled up and went outside with his parents to enjoy the unusual weather (while I stayed on the porch).

Things were still undecided on Tuesday (and thawing out), so I said I could go on home and come back when they needed me, and would it help if I took Peter back to Waco with me.

Aside: Ever since April got pregnant, Kevin has been asking me when I thought we’d be able to keep Peter for a night or so, so they could have a break/vacation/getaway. I said, not until he’s walking well and doesn’t have to be carried around all the time. Last fall, they came for a few days, to help a friend’s mom do some work at her home out in the country. One of those days, Peter was asleep when they got back to our house, and still asleep when they left in the morning. So, technically, we did a one-night sleepover with us and without them. I thought we could make it work this time.

Tuesday, over lunch, we decided that yes, it would help to have Peter away from the house for a couple of days, and April and I scurried around, me getting myself packed up (I only left my house shoes and a hanger behind), and April getting Peter packed up, trying to get us on the road before he fell asleep so he could nap in the car.

Tuesday night-FINALLY asleep!

Things went fine until Tuesday night bedtime. Ollie, Mollie, Gollie! He wept and sobbed and grieved-Mommy/Daddy/Mommy/Daddy, and for an hour or so, I rocked him and sang to him, until I was hoarse. I finally put him into the crib and said, “It’s time to go to sleep. I will rub your back; close your eyes.” He closed his eyes and put his darling little hands over his eyes to keep them closed, and he was so sweet, I got all mooshy schmooshy inside. But, I did think that, if this happened Wednesday night, too, he’d have to go right back home.

Watching the Waco snowfall on Wednesday morning.

But it didn’t; he was absolutely fine, for days. I talked to Kevin on Thursday and said things were going great, and Kevin said everything was on hold, medically, but April was getting lots of other important things done, and could Peter stay longer and I said, sure, we’ll bring him back Sunday after church.

We went to three libraries, one grocery store, one museum, twice to West Avenue Elementary School for Reading Club, and a trip to Target. But, no walks, no parks, no playing in the yard and not even any playing in the sand box in the garage. Tooooooo colllllld! But we did buy a set of construction trucks like he has at home. There, he plays with them in a sand box on the back porch or on a tray of dried beans inside. We got some rice instead and used Tupperware containers, not wanting to spend any time playing in the sand box in our frosty garage.

Granddad is an excellent playmate, and the instant he arrived home each evening, he was the preferred partner for dining, playing, bathtimes and bedtimes. Which made for restful evenings for me.

One of the funnier incidents: Early Saturday morning (before David had to go to a meeting), I made a quick trip to Target for more diapers. I spent several minutes looking at my numerous choices and got a small package of Huggies or Luvs or something, that had monkeys and purple designs on them, which I didn’t realize until I’d gotten them home and opened the plastic packaging. Too bad, I’d already torn open the package. But, they did what disposable diapers are supposed to do. Later, after the third trip to a library, we came home, David was home, and we had some lunch, and David put Peter down for a nap. About half an hour later, Peter came roaring out of the room, shouting, “I waked up, Granddad! I waked up!” He was waving the plastic packaging from the diapers. “I need throw this away,” he said soberly. So, what had happened was, he stayed in the crib for 5 minutes or so, then climbed out, got on the big bed, removed all the diapers from the package, strewing them all over the bed, looked at the package and developed a strategy that he hoped would fly. It did not. He did throw away the plastic, but then we kissed him good night once more, and put him back in the crib, with stern(ish) directives to stay in it and go to sleep. Which he did.

When we got home from Fort Worth Sunday evening, we came in, walked past the high chair, crunched over grains of rice on the floor, and walked by the room where the crib is. The little night-light was still on.

“It’s pretty quiet in here,” David said. And it was. In a good way, but in a lonesome way, too.

Two weeks from today, if you’re reading this on Friday, they’ll be here for a Waco ComicCon. I hope it’s warmer and we can move those trucks outside, because it will take me that long to get rid of all the rice on the floor.

Then, I think they’ll be here two weeks after that, for Easter. I’m grateful they live so close.