My First Weekend Away from Baby
A few weeks ago I spent my first weekend away from the baby, and while I probably wasn’t ready – I may never have been. So I did it.
For the seventh time I took in the Boots & Hearts Music Festival, covering it for thereviewsarein.com with interviews and photos and reviews of the live music. It was a lot of fun… but it was also four days away from Oliver and his mama.
Related: Boots & Hearts 2018 coverage at thereviewsarein.com
My trip away started on Thursday morning when Jess and Ollie dropped me off at the GO train station. I leaned in and gave the sleeping baby boy a kiss and told him that I loved him and that I’d see him soon.
Not soon enough.
By Thursday night at about 9 pm I was missing him something fierce. I’d only been away for about 12 hours, but that was long enough. So after I finished my sausage on a bun, I called home using Google Duo to see him. And even though he was passed out asleep on his mama with a full belly, it was totally worth it.
Jess and I already had plans for me to call home to see them while I was away. It’s why we each downloaded Duo in the first place (me on Android, her on iOS). She probably didn’t expect me to try quite so soon.
The next morning, on a break from writing up Thursday night show reviews, I called home again to see my two tops. It took us a second to get our cameras centred, and it took a minute for Ollie to recognize my face and voice on Jess’s iPhone screen – but once he did, and he smiled, it was perfect.
To see his little face light up with a smile while I was an hour and a half away was one of the sweetest feelings I’ve ever felt. He knew me. I wasn’t just the guy that is around in the condo with him all the time. I was a guy that he was happy to see on the screen of his mom’s phone 24 hours after I’d said goodbye.
It was the same on Saturday morning. And on Sunday. Perfect and happy after he clued in and smiled at me through the video call.
Just like in years passed, I texted back and forth with Jess while I was at the festival. The only real difference is that I checked in on both of them when I sent my messages. It was both of them that I sent my love to. And it was both of them that she sent her love back from.
Over four days I saw great live music, I interviewed artists backstage, and I worked through one of my favourite weekends of the year. And I talked about Ollie with industry pals, artist friends, anyone who’d listen really.
I’m not sure I was ready to be away for four days. I’m not sure Jess was ready for me to be gone for four days. But thankfully she was cool with it, and handled things like a champ and the brilliant mama she is.
I got home late on Sunday night, with the baby asleep peacefully in his room. I was tempted to go in and pick him up for a cuddle. Heck, I’d been thinking about doing that since some time on Friday. But I didn’t. Instead, I leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead and went to bed.
On Monday morning I woke up and Jess and Ollie were already in the living room on the couch with a morning feed done and their day started. I walked into the room and said good morning. And in just a second, way less time than it had taken via video call, my baby boy looked up and saw me and smiled.
I was home and happy and while I’m not looking forward to, or planning any four day trips again any time soon, I know that I can do it. And he can do it too.
feature photo courtesy of Trish Cassling Photography
