#babyless

I write to you now because I have time.  Lots and lots of time.  I hardly know what to do with myself.  I haven't had time on my hands in oh.....15 months or so? Coincidence that that is the precise age of the tiny time vacuum that is my son?  I think not.

In preparation for our next overseas jaunt, the darling husband and I have been out in California this week, getting input from HQ on all we need to do to facilitate our move and his assignment in Tunisia.  Since the week was going to be nothing but meetings and mad dashes, we decided to leave the baby in the care of my mother, sainted woman that she is!  

This is the first time I have been more than a quick car ride away from the baby and by far the longest stretch I have gone without seeing him.  We attempted a Skype call last night which went far worse than expected.  Baby's response ranged from stony faced, to confused to out and out bawling.  

It is certainly liberating to be able to sit and write or work without a nap time clock ticking and to spend some extended quality time with the man I married.  And I had completely forgotten what an alarm clock sounded like.  But I do miss the little squidge quite desperately and have a not insignificant knot of guilt in my tummy for leaving him for a full week.  

I have heard from friends who travelled for business or pleasure while their kids were young that I should be prepared for the cold shoulder when I get back.  That would definitely be hard to take and I am on the hunt for the perfect toy to buy back baby's affection on my return.  I am also mitigating my guilt by treating much of the airline travel and hotel stay as an in-depth reconnaissance trip for the upcoming travel with baby that we will be doing this summer.  Every aspect of the flight was taken in with a "how would this work with baby in tow" perspective.