So Friday, Blake's dad offered us some LSU football tickets for Saturday's game against West Virginia! We really wanted to go, but what to do with the munchkin? It was an 8:00 game, so bringing her with us wasn't going to happen. We decided to leave her at Blake's parents' house with Mrs. Michelle and Catherine. Overnight. For the first time. Ever.
Maybe it's not a big deal for those of you who are experienced parents, but being away from her for an entire day and night was a big deal for me. I guess part of it was that I felt guilty - like I was dumping her off on Blake's mom so we could go have fun and enjoy the football game. But the reality of our situation is that leaving Isabelle for a night is inevitable. With Lacey's due date quickly approaching (I'll be considered full-term only 4 weeks from today!!), I'm going to have to get used to the idea of leaving Isabelle for a little while. So this Saturday was good practice for both of us.
And Isabelle did great. I made sure to pack everything she might need (lots of baby-gear), and I wrote down her usual meal and nap schedule to help Mrs. Michelle and Catherine out. I was really worried about how she would sleep at night, but she ended up sleeping all night in her co-sleeper-turned-playpen! She did have a little freak-out moment Sunday morning when Mrs. Michelle brought her in bed with her and Mr. Russell - she looked back and forth at both of them, confused, and then started to cry. :o( But Mrs. Michelle walked her around the house and reminded Isabelle where she was, and she was fine after that. They fed her breakfast and took her to Mass in the morning so Blake and I could sleep in a little!
So how was my Saturday? Good, but difficult at the same time. We had packed Isabelle's stuff and all of our barbecuing necessities the night before, so we left with Gregory and Ariel at around 8:00 to drop off the munchkin and head to Baton Rouge. We got a good place to park right off Highland Road in front of Sturgis Hall. Ariel and I had a difficult time finding a restroom, as the buildings designated to be open for public restroom-use didn't open until 1:00! It was really nice being on LSU's beautiful campus again. It brought back so many memories of when I was a student there. One thing's for sure - it was much easier trekking across campus with a full booksack than a huge pregnant belly, lol!
Tailgating was really fun, and except for about a half-hour of nausea and all-around-not-feeling-good, it was great! The guys grilled burgers and sausage, and we snacked on chips too. We went to the union for a little while when it started to rain, and then headed to the stadium. We had some great seats, and we had a blast at the game. I tried to relax and conserve my energy as much as I could, but I could feel my feet starting to swell. By the time we were leaving the stadium (11:30), they were huge. It's not a problem I normally have, but I guess all the walking I did that day, plus the fact that I didn't have a chance to elevate them at all during the game caught up with me. By the time we walked to the truck, sat in traffic, and drove home, we ended up getting back home at around 2 am to get a little sleep before going to pick up Isabelle.
Being away from Isabelle for that long was nice in a way, but difficult too. You don't realize until you're a parent how much responsibility comes with raising a child. SO much of my day is taking care of Isabelle's needs - feedings, diaper changes, putting her down for naps, diaper changes, bath time, playtime (oh, and diaper changes too!) - it was so weird being free from the responsibility of caring for her for so long! But at the same time, it was difficult for me. I spent a good part of the day thinking about her - wondering how she was doing, what was going on in her little world, and if she missed me. It's amazing how much becoming a mother changes you. I wonder if I'll still have those same thoughts when she's grown, moved out of our home, and raising a family of her own. Probably.
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