Michael and Beth's Blog

This past Sunday morning I was lying on the couch giving myself a pep-talk: “You can do this. It will be fun. It will build character.” My plan for the day was to go to church with Beth and Ella. Then, while Beth went to a baby shower, I was going to take Ella to visit with my parents. This whole scenario sounds simple enough; however, with my history in going places while keeping Ella by myself it was anything but.

First of all, there was Jessica’s wedding back in October. Beth was in the wedding, so it was my job to get Ella and me there. The ceremony was at 6:30 in the evening. Before leaving, Beth had gotten everything ready so I could bring Ella. I had my script rehearsed: Get Ella up from her nap, get Ella dressed, get me dressed, drive to the wedding, and feed Ella right when I got there.

The only problem was, I wasn’t quick enough and calm enough to do the first four parts of that outline. In the process, my anxiety rose and Ella kept getting more anxious and hungry. As we got ready to go, I couldn’t foresee a happy ending, so I decided to stay at the hotel and give Ella her normal nighttime routine. I’m sure Mommy could have pulled this off, but with my limited parenting abilities, this was my only sane and prudent course of action.

Then there was Ella’s first birthday party a couple of weeks ago. Mommy and Aunt Amanda left early to go to Beth’s parents’ to get ready for the party. Meanwhile, my job was to get Ella up from her nap, feed her lunch, bathe her, dress her, and take her to the party. Did I mention she was also getting over a cold? I’ll “cut to the chase” by letting you know that I did get Ella to her party dressed and on time; however, at one point, I was having flashbacks to the night of Jessica’s wedding.

So, when I made plans for my Father’s Day afternoon alone with Ella, I wasn’t thinking about those past episodes. It wasn’t until Beth started packing all of Ella’s stuff the night before that I had reservations. “Wow, honey! How do you remember all of this stuff? You are definitely a pro mommy,” I said. Meanwhile, I was slightly overwhelmed thinking about getting to my parents’ along with Ella, a diaper bag, two jars of baby food, a couple of bottles of milk, some toys and a Bumbo.

Three things helped me overcome my anxiety: 1) Day by day, taking care of Ella is getting easier and easier. 2) My “daddy acumen” increases with each outing. 3) If all else failed, at least I could count it as a “character building” experience.

These things in mind, I set off for my parents after Ella and I said goodbye to Mommy at church. It wasn’t long before she was asleep. We have a mirror that lets us peek back at her, and I was tempted to stare at her sleeping so peacefully and sweetly. By the time I got into my parent’s end of town, she’d only been asleep for twenty minutes, so I decided to drive for a little while longer.

I drove the backroads I used to drive everyday when I was in high school. Twenty minutes more of driving, my precious cargo in the backseat, and I was in a relaxing reverie of days-gone-by-memories by the time we got to my parent’s house.

Our visit was uneventful save for a wonderful time had by all. My mother spent as much time with Ella as she possibly could, my dad made me a sandwich, we had a good time talking, and Ella was her sweet and spunky self. It was a vintage day that will seem richer and richer as the years go by.

On the drive home, I played the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soundtrack hoping to keep her awake until I could put her down for a nap in her bed. However, midway through the trip, even melodies of Toot-Sweets and “near far, in a motor car, oh what a lovely time we’ll spend,” couldn’t keep her from shutting her eyes.

Once inside, I gave her a bottle, and I put her down. Then, I grabbed a Boylan’s Orange Cream Soda out of the fridge before heading back to our bedroom. I spread out on our bed and read while I glanced at the video monitor. Ella started out rolling around in her bed, throwing her blankie around, babbling, and kicking her legs in the air. Thirty minutes into this, she was still playing and having the best time. If she wasn’t asleep by forty-five minutes, I decided I would get her up.

Sure enough, she never drifted off, so I went in to get my smiling and babbling daughter a couple of minutes before Mommy was due to get home. We were playing on the carpet in the living room when Mommy walked through the door. Although Ella was glad to see her, I felt a sense of accomplishment as Ella patiently stayed by my side as Mommy came over to see her. It was a Happy Father’s day indeed.