Date Day and Grace

I have a friend who has a rule with her husband when it comes to parenting their child: Anything said in the middle of the night doesn't count.

I like this rule. For the sake of all marriages transitioning into life with a baby, this rule is important.

Zachary's fever turned into an 8-day fiasco of no eating, no sleeping, demanding cuddle sessions with anyone who would rock him, and a snot-filled cold. By night three I was completely exhausted from no sleep and battling with a sick Toddler all weekend. Did I mention my boss is gone and I don't get my usual day off? So on night 4, I snapped. It was midnight, Zachary had slept for a total of 1 hour by then and I NEEDED sleep. I unplugged the monitor from my nightstand, threw it at my husband, and yelled (yes, yelled!) "It's your turn!".

I'm extremely lucky to have a very helpful husband. He had been helping a lot throughout the whole sickness, so it wasn't him I was mad at. I was just furious that I couldn't sleep because, for some reason, no matter how helpful a husband is, the night-shifts just seem to always fall on the mom.

He patiently said "okay" and went to rock Zachary back to sleep. For the remainder of the night he held the monitor close to his ear on low volume so that I could remain asleep and he immediately got up any time Zachary needed him. (Yes, I know, I hit the jackpot with my husband!)

I was feeling guilty for my tantrum but so very thankful for the sleep. I was embarrassed that I snapped so aggressivly when I know he would have been happy to help had I just politely asked for it. The next morning I was sitting at my desk at work and an Outlook Calendar Invite popped up on my screen. My husband had planned for a babysitter to come to our house on Saturday and watch Zachary so that we could go on a date. Husband of the year? YES! I felt even more guilty but so covered with his grace that I instantly remembered how lucky I am to be loved by this generous man. The rest of the week was filled with sleepless nights for both of us which led each of us to fight the same bug Zachary had. Come Saturday - Date Day - we were both on the fence about leaving the house but knew that this time with each other was important enough to make a priority. Even if sweatpants and blankets at home sounded better.

So here are a few pictures of our date day:


It started with lunch at Boomers in Bellingham - SO delicious! And there really is nothing like greasy food when you're fighting a cold!

Next we did a little shopping and then picked up some snacks for our next stop..... The MOVIES!



We NEVER get to go to the movies. Like ever. I shouldn't say "never get to" becuase we choose not to. It is SO expensive to go to the movies. I mean SERIOUSLY. So this was a special treat for us! We saw the movie Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field (one of my favorite actresses). It was a good movie! I was glad we didn't waste that much money on a bad one, it was actually one that was worth our time. It was filled with terriffic acting, and the perfect balance of history and blockbuster.

After the movie we headed home. We were both sick and exhausted and felt like we had definitely over-done it but sure appreciated a break from our sick little one and some time alone together.

Zachary had a great time wtih his babysitter (aka Grandma). He talked about her for the rest of the weekend.

On Sunday Zachary helped me out with some more baking. This is definitely our family favorite muffin recipe. Honey Mango Vanilla Muffins. I found the recipe when I was on my Zachary diet, it's diary free with no sugar and has so many variations. Recipe Found Here


Okay - a little explanation on Zachary's outfit. He LOVES to wear his dad's socks. He pretty much thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. And it just makes my heart melt to see how proud he is to wear them. And yes, that's the arch support around his ankles... he's still my little peanut :)


It was a terrific weekend! I love spending so much time with these two boys. Our weekends as a family of three are lessening and lessening so I'm absorbing all of it as much as I can. I breathe in these moments right here:



Thank you Lord for these precious boys.... and for Date Days, and for this life!

Comments