Weekend Away

This weekend I was able to get away by myself for the first time since Tess was born. I spent the weekend at a friend's little house on Greenwood Lake, a lake about two hours from the city. Here's a picture of the front yard:

And the inside of the house:

And this was my view from the deck Friday night:

Sadly, this was my view for the rest of the weekend. (The fog moved in and it was cold all day Saturday and Sunday.)

I had expected to spend the weekend at the lake's beach, or hiking, but I didn't bring appropriate clothes for the cold, so I spent a lot of the weekend inside. I read, worked on some writing for a job I'm applying for, talked on the phone, slept (very welcome!), and just enjoyed the time and space to myself. I also went for a drive, and a couple of walks, and spent some time enjoying the lake while wrapped up in a sweater.

The first night I was there, I felt this overwhelming sense of relief and calm wash over me, followed by a wave of exhaustion. It was such a welcome change to completely check out of my mothering responsibilities for a couple of days.

Eric and Tess managed quite well in my absence. Eric enjoyed being primary parent, the one she ran to for kisses when she got hurt. Tess would tell me stories when I'd call to check in, and it was remarkable to notice how much she can communicate now.

Since my return, Tess has been a little clingy and in need of a lot of Mama-attention. It's been exhausting, but also feels like part of the process of teaching her I can sometimes go away.

While at the lake, I overheard this funny conversation between two girls:

Girl 1: I'm 5.
Girl 2: Me too!!
1: I was born in 2000...no wait...2006.
2: Me too!! We are like twins.
1: What's your favorite color?
2: Blue.
1: Me too!!
2: And we both have brown hair and brown eyes.
1: Are you a tomboy?
2: No. I'm a girly-girl.
1: Me too!!