A trip away from baby at 21 months
When Maggie was eight months old I went to the International Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas. There wasn’t much ado, I was gone and I came back and things were pretty normal while I was gone.
I went again this year for four days and Maggie’s now 22 months old. There were some repercussions I’m told. While I called and talked to her on the phone and would check on her via the baby cam, Maggie didn’t know it was me and didn’t know how to express that she was wondering where I was.
I’m told tantrums, sleep problems, and all around pissy baby were well known this week.
When I got home she was pissed off in the car that she couldn’t sit in my lap, and then I hugged her until she was annoyed. Sitting down after dropping bags and taking off shoes that had survived on me on a 90 degree plane trip, Maggie walked over to me, looked right in my eyes, and said in the clearest word I’ve ever heard her say “bubbles.”
I used the new bubble wand, these bubbles didn’t pop when they hit the carpet so there were bubbles all over the place. Maggie showed me her skill at popping them, then I threw the stinky baby in a bath, dressed her in PJs and watch a bit of the Chicka show.
She had a little trouble going down, and I let her get back up and play a bit before forcing her to get to bed about 40 minutes late.
She slept through the night, waking at about 6am with as sad a wail as I’ve ever heard come from her. I shot down to see what was the matter, opened her door and asked her what’s up. She stopped wailing for a second and said “ma me?” and I said “no, I’m your daddy.”
She screamed “gah di!” and hugged me for a good two minutes at least. I got her up and ready for school and she seemed very happy until we were close to going when she stopped, looked around desperate and started saying “mommy” and pointing at the couch. I told her mommy was still sleeping, recovering from baby rampage the past few nights, but this made her extremely sad.
I took her upstairs to see mommy, she breathed a sigh of relief, then was ready to go to school.
I think if I go in 2016 I’m going to need to rig up video calls on the TV.
