Bittersweet

We will soon be going on a trip and leaving Susie with my parents for the weekend.  Tonight is her trial run.  She has spent the night with my parents before, when she was much younger.  Now, she has her night-night routines and a preference for sleeping cuddled up to her mom, so we thought a trial run would be appropriate.   If I were to be completely honest, the trial run is as much for me as it is for her.  The last time I left her overnight was back in December and I took her extra blankie with me . . . and it was still hard for me!

I had drop-off duty again today. I packed her blankie, her Elmo pillow and her pink monkey along with her change of clothes and pajamas.  I explained that she was having a sleep over at Nana's tonight, and built up the fun she was about to have.  She was lying on my bed drinking her milk and repeated over and over, "Stay with Mommy."  On the drive over to my parents' house, we talked about the fun she would have with Nana and Grandpa and about how much Mommy was going to miss her, and she kept saying, "Stay with Mommy."

We got to my parents' house and she saw Grandpa out in the yard doing some work.  We all went inside and Susie gave her good morning hugs and kisses to Nana and Grandpa. I sat on the arm of the couch and lingered. Like sitting on the arm of the couch wasn't a real commitment to staying, but it wasn't a commitment to leaving, either.  She was told the plan for the day, a trip to Target and the grocery store.  I lingered.  We talked about the sleep over.  And, I lingered. 

Finally, I told Susie that I had to leave.  She started pushing on me and told me, "Time to go now. Susie push you out the door."  Yay! Her first use of the pronoun "you" outside of I love you! 

Wait a minute!!!

Did my child just tell me she was going to push me out the door?  Oh well, at least as I was walking to the door she yelled behind me, "Bye bye, Mommy.  I love you very much."