Jesy’s finally asleep at the end of the first 24 hours of his visit. I’m expecting him to wake up at any minute, but I’m fading fast. I’ve got another hour of work scheduled then some serious sleep planned. I’m just hoping to get to bed before he gets on the Xbox 360 in the living room. I know it can be used as a baby sitter, but I don’t want him starting on games before the sun comes up.
Probably a losing proposition especially as soon as I fall asleep.
The trip to Baltimore to get him on Friday was exhausting. My mom insisted on driving and I had left my regular glasses at home. The new driving glasses are great when I’m driving, but they give me headaches if I’m not. They’re just too powerful. So I spent the entire trip (other than at security since I was wearing glasses in my driver’s license photo), in a blur with glasses off. That just made things worse. I couldn’t fall asleep in the car (Jesy is a talker), and we didn’t get in until 2am last night.
This morning we were up early and went to see ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ It was pretty good. Long though. I’m so not used to NOT being able to pause a movie and go to the bathroom or get snacks or whatever. If we go to another movie, I’m limiting myself to an icee and a small one at that. I’m getting old. I know it. But for an old man, I made the bathroom runs in two minutes or less.
None of the next observations will amaze any parents, so feel free to skip over them and I’ll see you next time. Those that stay, well, okay, it’s weird thinking for two. He’s 10 and in a new situation and on 3 hours of sleep. He’s in a daze when I take him places. There are things he doesn’t get yet, like stay close to me when we’re ordering or checking out. He’s waaaaay too big to hold his hand when we go places but he does need to be guided with hands on the shoulders some times so he’s not blocking traffic or so he’ll just MOVE so we can get going.
At the movies, if I’m with friends, I think nothing about getting up and going to the bathroom. Now, it’s okay, should I “go with” if he has to go to the bathroom (I didn’t), and if anything happened while I was in the bathroom would he know what to do? I know I can’t compare to the feelings of anxiety real parents feel get when they leave their kids alone for a minute, but I did run a little faster to the bathroom and back and was more than relieved when he was still watching the movie.
I’m also hoping that I’m not too much of a drag. All his life I’ve been a voice on the phone who is there when he’s down or needs someone to talk to. We can be silly on the phone and usually it gets him through his crisis or boredom. Now though, he’s here. I have to be the grown up at the same time. So no 10 hour Xbox sessions instead of bed. Candy and crazy in moderation. I’m also so much of a kid myself that I’m catching some of his ploys to getting out of going to bed or doing chores since I am usually thinking the same things. I’m sure he’ll adapt over the next week, but for now I am a step ahead of him.
And he’s in bed. Sleeping. At 4:41AM.
That’s as good of a victory as I’m gonna get this week.
Jim