Since Mommy B worked yesterday, it was my first all-day attempt at solo parenting. And I must say, I don't know how single parents do it. I take that back, I know how they do it... it just sucks big time. It wasn't that Alli was such a handful that I needed someone else to take over every once in a while, but more so because she can't talk yet which made it lonely! There I was, hanging out with two other living beings (Alli and Scarlett) neither of which I can carry on a conversation with. I felt very lonely without being alone - kinda messes with your mind a little bit.
Overall, the day went very well. She actually woke up around 6am like she usually does on days I have to take her to daycare, so I gave her a bottle and she went back to sleep until 9am. Yaayy for extra sleep for Dad-E! When she finally woke up for the day, I was able to spoon-feed her some Sweet Potatoes - which she appears to love! Just the thought of eating sweet potatoes myself makes me want to barf, but I'm sure she's enjoying finally getting to taste something other than Mommy B's liquid gold.
She was actually ready for her morning nap by 10am or so... and slept until 12:30pm! It was fantastic! I was actually able to shower and get a few things done that I wanted to get accomplished before Grandma C comes to visit this week. Then I had a thought... since Mommy B has brought Alli to visit me at work on multiple occasions, I decided this would be the perfect time to bring her to the hospital to visit her mommy at work.
My thought process was that this would actually kill two birds with one stone - show off Alli Ru to all of Mommy B's friends at work and entertain Alli for a couple hours without having to dangle toys in front of her face like at home. By the time we drove downtown, made the rounds in the hospital and drove home, she'd be ready for another nap... right? Bingo - she fell asleep in the car before I even hit the highway on the way home. She woke up when we got home, but got a little power nap in on the ride - just long enough for Dad-E to drop $55 to fill up the gas tank. And I don't even drive an SUV. UGH.
We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and eating (well, she ate at least). She took a brief "afternoon" nap around 5pm, but we were back on the evening routine after that. She was even awake just long enough to see Mommy B come home before I put her in bed. The good news is - whatever I did during the day worked... because she slept all night! Not that she's had trouble with sleeping through the night lately, just that I wanted to make sure I tuckered her out enough during the day that she would actually need a full night's sleep. I was worried throughout the day that I was entertaining enough to make her tired later. Let's be honest, Dad-E alone doesn't really compare to the sights, sounds and interactions she has in 9ish hours of daycare.
All in all, my first solo day of parenting was a success. Nobody got hurt, everyone got fed (even the dog) and the house didn't burn down. Whew! I know there will be times in the future where I might have to watch Alli by myself, but she'll be older by then and hopefully able to entertain herself. Not that I just want to plop her in the sandbox and go wash the car, but there are only so many activities you can do with an infant who can't walk (or even crawl yet for that matter), talk, fully grasp things or sit up on her own for an extended period of time. Besides, we don't have a sandbox anyway.
All that being said, mad props to Mommy B who is "home alone" with Alli 2-3 days a week. She really enjoys spending the extra time with Alli when she's not at work, which I'm sure will just make their mother-daughter bond even stronger as the years go by. I just know how close she is with her mom and I can only hope that Alli has that with Mommy B eventually. Speaking of, Grandma C is on her way down Wednesday - should be a fun end to the week!
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