Miss you like crazy

Last week, Will and I left Evie with his parents in order to take a week long trip to Japan.  It was an opportunity we couldn't pass up.  Will's work was taking him there, and we had enough points to pay for my flight, so that would mean most trip costs would be covered.  The catch of course was that neither of us wanted to leave Evie for so long.  At only 17 months, I had no idea how she would handle it.  A day or two away went smoothly enough on the Cape, but this trip had me being gone for seven days, and Will for eleven.  Perhaps equally as questionable was whether I could handle being away from her for so long.  But, like I said, the opportunity seemed once in a life time, so we took it.

Now on the flip side of the trip, I can happily say I think we both did pretty well.  We were able to video chat a few times while there, and it was just so nice to see her smiling face.  She'd pop on to the screen (with some prodding from Nana and Grandpa), say "Hiiii-eee", wave and blow kisses, and throw in a few "Mamamamamama" and "Dadu dadu dadu"'s for good measure.  Will and I would melt during these chats, while Evie would seem comforted to see us and then quickly move on to whatever else caught her attention.  We'd beckon her back to the screen and many times she'd oblige, but it was clear our job of proving we still existed had been completed, and that was really all she needed.  The best part of each session was when we'd say "bye-bye" and she'd wave and then lean in to kiss the iPad, smacking one on each of our virtual lips.  Amazing what technology makes possible.

After I returned home, we carried on a few more of these chats with Will and I could see first hand just how clearly she understood it was us (him) on the other side of the camera.  She could in fact kiss the screen square on where his lips were displayed.  She'd point to her nose and then my nose and then touch the screen where Will's nose was and say "dadu no".  If Will saw her shifting back and forth and asked her if she was dancing, she'd smile eagerly and spin in a circle, clapping her hands.  She knew that was her "dadu" and she was happy to see him.

Really, I'm sure the trip went so well because Evie was so thrilled to be with her Nana and Grandpa again.  After two months with them on the Cape, they were welcome caretakers.  Trips to the beach, parks all over the city, museums, and more kept Evie busier than I do on most days.  Apparently I should attempt such feats as she also took an unassisted 2-3 hour nap each day while I was away.  Now that they're gone, she's dropped back to a 1-1.5 hour daily nap (sigh).

The day after they left, she walked to the guest bedroom and hollered "Nana?" "Poppa?" (still working on the full 'Grandpa' pronunciation).  When she didn't find them she started to whine and came running for me, fairly distraught that two of her favorite people were no longer here.  In fact, I really think that's what was hardest overall for her.  She was so excited the day they arrived, and the next day we left--a huge adjustment--then, I returned with no Dadu, and they left two days later.  She demonstrated her angst a bit when I attempted to take her back to gym day care.  Prior to us leaving for Japan, she was enjoying her daily trip to play there.  But, when I tried to take her after my return she got very upset about me leaving the room.  It has taken the better part of a week to convince her I will come back in a very short amount of time.

On the day of Will's return

When Will came home she took a few minutes to warm up to the idea of him being there.  It was funny.  I told her "dadu is coming home" and she got noticeably excited.  A huge grin, clapping her hands, repeating dadudadudadu constantly.  And then she saw him, got bashful, and buried herself into my leg.  I think once she realized he was really here she got giddy.  We went to a park together and she grabbed both of our hands and walked us to the park gate.  She was chattering away telling us stories (never mind us not understanding them) and just happy as could be.  Overall, she has handled  all of this so well.   I'm really proud of her and frankly proud of myself as well.  And perhaps most of all, so grateful for the relationship that she has with her grandparents that made this possible.  She is lucky to have them.