This weekend Wesley spent his first night away from home sans Mommy and Daddy. Charlie and I have been waiting for the right time to encourage this particular milestone moment, and I think we timed it just right. At three-and-a-half years of age, Wesley is constantly trying to assert his big boy independence. This weekend just happened to be the weekend that his cousin Ryan (age 5) was staying at Nanny and Pap's house, so it seemed as good a time as any to try a night away from home.
Boy, was it ever!
Wesley and Ryan played beautifully together Saturday morning at Adventure Island and Saturday afternoon at Nanny's. Baseball, golf, and the sandbox were all part of a bonding experience between two little boys who just happen to be the same size. Bathtime with army men, old matchbox cars, and little plastic airplanes (and lots of sand from Ryan's hair) created lots of giggles and imaginative play. When it was time for this mommy to bid good-night and drive home, I guess I was expecting a few tears and I was preparing mentally to pack up everything I'd brought over, son included, and head home for bedtime.
I was barely given a hug good-bye. Humph.
There was so much excitement generated by this very big boy venture - and if there is one thing my son inherited from me, it's the ability to get happily excited over every little thing - that I drove home not at all worried. I did keep my phone on my bedside table just in case, but when the report came in that everyone under the age of six was happily slumbering, I knew that my baby boy had taken another step towards true big boy status.
Sunday he had a birthday party to go to at a pumpkin patch. The theme? Thomas the Train. He was gone for 4 1/2 hours (I was at writer's group, so he went with Daddy) and returned happily dirty with cake-and-ice-cream-face. After bathtime, during which there was many a train wreck over the side of the bathtub, he eagerly asked me if it was my turn to put him to bed. This was something of a surpirse as he had gone Friday and Saturday without his daddy, who had gone to West Virginia to attend the funeral of his friend Duane's dad, and more times than not I end up low man on the totem pole. However, it warmed my heart to see that he had missed me so, so I agreed that it was my turn and we happily climbed into bed for storytime.
My favorite part of the whole weekend? When my sweet big boy rolled over, placed his still little hand in mine, and fell asleep.
Big Boy status lingers on the horizon, which makes for a happy fella, yet remains far enough away that it makes this mama breathe a sigh of relief.
And I can eagerly anticipate the next milestone moment, which I'm pretty sure is just around the corner.
