11.14.2009

Mama on the road

Today begins day three of my first trip away from Maybelle.  Biffle sends missives via text message:

"Toast, scrambee, oatmeal, juice.  New friend:  Bobo's water bowl."
"Down for nap.  Nary a tear."
"Goodnight Gorilla."
Little flags that let me know how their days together are unfolding.  I send messages back, documenting the very different pace of my days here at the conference:
"Book signing went great almost sold out!"
"I have used my research money to buy books, now lunch."
"Just got back from early meeting now going to work out before more meetings."
I wondered if I'd feel like a limb had been severed, being away from her, but fortunately, I find that I'm really enjoying myself.  This is an incredibly busy conference for me, so it would have been very difficult to bring her along, not to mention unfair to her, since I'd hardly see her.  Far better for her to be at home with Biffle, and with her normal nannies and friends.  And for me, I'm getting to run around and think and talk, go out with my friends after sessions at night, sleep in in the morning (unbelievably luxurious).  Probably not coincidentally, I have bought a bunch of books about motherhood.

I'm heading home tomorrow night, and I'll be ready.  But I'm happy that Maybelle and I are making it through this first separation successfully.

3 comments:

rachel said...

if i sent you a text missive, it would probably read, "extra cuddly. think she misses mommy!" Or perhaps, "blackberry jam = big smiles, purple puke."

glad the conference is going well!

Amanda R. said...

I'm with you. Last week I was at an academic conference in Pittsburgh--first time away from the wee-est one, Lena (17 months). I was so worried about this but man was it great to walk the streets of a city at night, eat cheesecake in my gigantor hotel bed and, uh, sleep. I had forgotten what an alarm clock sounded like. Still, there was that ache...that incredible ache of missing them.

Alison Piepmeier said...

Extra cuddly Weenaroo! So nice. I heard about the jam situation.

And Amanda, you should totally have a blog. I'm with you about the gigantor hotel bed, although with me it's Double Stuff Oreos. And yes, the alarm clock! HA!

I am starting to miss her.