Just you and me

This week has been quite an adventure, sweet in some ways, but not without a hint of different tastes other than sweetness (if you know what I mean). My awesome Mr. Man, Olivia's amazing Daddy has been out of the country on a work trip. So we've been flying solo, just me and my sweet Caramel. We usually get a friend or one of my sisters to come stay with us when he's away, but this time I felt like experiencing "just the two of us".

It has been fine for the most part. Actually, Olivia has been suprsingly and amazingly calm. I must admit I had predicted that I would be going to bed so tired after a day of carrying around a whopping 10 kg "bag" around with me as she is usually glued onto my hip, back or chest when I get back from work midday, but it hasn't been too bad at all. She even allows me to put her down on the bathroom floor while I___!

I had also foreseen an exhausted me waking up in the mornings to get ready for work, wishing for more sleep after a night of the 4 to 5 wake-ups that we have been used to the past few months. Nope! This not so long ago sleep deprived mama has been enjoying some good quality sleep. Olivia has been sleeping for about 9 to 12 hours straight, just slightly waking up once to have her pacifier put back in. This is a testimony worthy of its own blog post. I will share the details later. Whether this good-sleep season lasts a few more days, weeks, months or whatever, I am making sure to enjoy it!

We miss him, his random laughter in the middle of sentences, his tickles, his presence, his warmth and of course his strong arms. As I was working on his computer sitting in his office chair with Olivia on my lap, she started looking around this familiar space with the look on her face she usually has when we are in a new place. I wondered what was going on in her head. I wondered if she noticed that we are in Daddy's space and he is not there. I remembered that her Daddy had sent her text hugs, kisses and tickles, so I gave them to her at that moment.

Her Daddy is coming back in a few days. I will have my hubby back with me in less than a week. There are millions of women whose husbands or partners are gone forever like my mother who singlehandedly raised 4 children. Millions of children like myself who grow up in homes without fathers. I do not know what it's like to be a single mother, but I know too well what it's like being a fatherless child, the questions, the pain anger and resentment. I am so grateful that I can hold my sweet Caramel and say to her, "Your Daddy will be back sweetheart."