Our older son Darin got sick around Christmas. We didn’t see it coming, but our younger son Jordan did. We were at Enchant Vancouver. We had fought our way through the maze and were sitting with a bacon and cheese mega sandwich. Darin wasn’t hungry, and he sat a little away from us. Then he got up and stood by one of the heaters scattered throughout the tent we were in. Jordan called it. He said Darin was getting sick, that the first sign he had had before he got sick earlier in the month was the inability to get and stay warm.
Sure enough, Darin was a little off when he showed up at our place on Christmas Eve. He was a trooper though and he kept up with the conversation and played all the games. But it was clear he was exhausted and functioning off strong cold meds. The same was true Christmas Day at his house. Darin didn’t let feeling tired and achy stop him from being a great host but a Mommy can tell. So we offered to take the baby on Boxing Day, so he and Devon could clean up after having a houseful of guests and then take some downtime.
We picked up Ari about 12:30 on Boxing Day afternoon. Devon handed us a bag of supplies to keep at our house and then the diaper bag. Ari was already in his car seat. We loaded up the car and left. Darin’s plan for the day was to sleep, Devon was going to hit the mall and then sleep. The plan was for us to have Ari into the evening. Fine by us!
Driving home with our grandson in his car seat in the back seat was interesting. Dale was more cautious than he usually was, waiting for the traffic to clear before turning rather than waiting for an opening. He drove us to the back of the building so we could enter through the garage, limiting the time he was outside in the cold and snow and limiting the risk of us slipping while carrying him. Like all babies, he woke up as soon as we took him out of his car seat. Again,fine by us, a baby who is awake is far more fun than one who is sleeping.
Dale took Ari in his arms and went to sit on the window seat. I left them and went out shopping. When I got home they were on the couch. Dale had read him several pages of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and then cuddled him until he fell asleep. I gently took Ari from his arms and put him into his playpen. I sat back down and Dale recalled me with everything that had happened while I was gone. Amazing how much happens with a baby in less than twenty minutes!
When Ari woke up I changed him and then amused him with a cow puppet, he loves cows right now. He chattered away happily, grabbing the cow’s nose or ears. When the cow stopped being fascinating, I leaned in and talked to him. He became very chatty then. I mimicked his sounds and he got louder and his smiles got bigger. Dale came over to enjoy the moment with me. Later we moved him to the couch where we amused him with the Grinch Jordan and Elizabeth built for Dale at Build-A-Bear. He had a little tummy time and then he was hungry again.
Soon it was time to get him ready to go home. We repacked the diaper bag and got Ari into his car seat. Again, we used the garage entrance. He fussed once on the drive back then settled to sleep. Darin opened the door almost before we knocked. The motion activated light and their barking dogs told him we were there. The change over was quick. Back at home we got a text, Darin had been asleep from the time we left with the baby until just before we dropped him off, seven and a half hours! Devon had shopped for a bit and then succumbed to sleep as well. We texted back saying we would take the baby anytime they wanted us to. Oh, and yes, we were tired after our first babysitting adventure. We didn’t really have a proper dinner so we grazed a bit and then I had a bath and went to bed. Heaven help us when he’s a toddler and doesn’t just lie there!