New Respect for Single Parents

I had Harry to myself for 26 hours this weekend, and while I always suspected that single parenthood was rough stuff, I've had a taste and realize I was underestimating the degree of difficulty.

Kevin left yesterday morning around 10, and by 3 o'clock I was already feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. On any weekday Kevin's out the door at 8:30 and comes home between 5 and 6, so I had actually been on my own with the baby for less time than usual, but knowing that Kevin wouldn't be home that day was looming large for me. It also didn't help that Harry was on his third onesie of the day, having spit up on himself (and me, naturally) twice.

Harry is generally happy, easygoing, and otherwise a very good baby. He's never been much for daytime naps, and certainly will not consent to sleeping alone in his crib during daylight hours, but yesterday the best I could get out of him was 10 minutes of light napping right after nursing, which didn't provide any real rest for him (or me) and left me a little foggy about when he might want to nurse again.

Dad came by around 4 to take us out for late lunch/early dinner and, bless him, hung out until 7:30, bouncing Harry and watching TV so I could knit a few rows on a pair of socks that I started back in (gasp!) April. Knitting is probably the thing I really miss doing from the pre-Harry era. It makes me feel good to look down at my project and see that actual, physical progress has been made. Taking care of Harry is the hardest job I've ever had, and I do love doing it, but at the end of the day I can't look at him and see tangible results. . . other than the fact that he's still in one piece, I guess.

Knowing that someone is going to be home in the evening to give me a chance to take a shower, or eat something for dinner besides crackers, or let me crawl into bed before Harry falls asleep, makes getting through a long day easier. Big ups to single moms (and single dads) who do it all by themselves.