We've arrived

We have some friends who have this great way of talking about the process we go through as parents when our kids attain a new life skill that makes our lives as parents easier. They call this phenomenon "we've arrived." It's the great feeling of euphoria, progress, accomplishment and certainty that yes, for sure, now life will be easier because the child can now do ___________(insert child's newest life-simplifying skill here). I think this applies to all parents and all children but I've felt it especially acutely with Anna becuase we plan for her to be our last child.

For example, when your last baby finally sleeps through the night you think, "We've arrived! We'll never have a baby getting up every 2 hours in the middle of the night again! We've arrived!"

Or when your last child is potty trained you think, "We've arrived! We'll never have to carry diapers everywhere we go ever again! We've really arrived!"

Or (and I'm really excited about when this one happens) the day that your kids can get up on a Saturday morning and entertain themselves together safely for a few hours while you sleep in. "We've arrived! We can sleep in again! We've really, really arrived!"

You get the idea, right? Well, I've had these "we've arrived" moments myself. I had one when Anna started sleeping through the night, when she could play on her own for a while, when we could finally go out to dinner and have someone else put her to bed, when she could feed herself, etc., but within this past week I had two of these wonderful moments.

Last Sunday Anna truly solidified her transition to only one nap and she and Noah both fell asleep on the way home from church and napped for over 2 hours. I can not tell you how much I felt like I had arrived. Both of them sleeping at the same time for a long stretch. Holy. Cow. We've arrived!

And then this past weekend I went to Miami with my college friends (more about this later) and Jon had to be away for work so Grandpa Tom and Grandma Ruth watched Noah and Anna at our house. I could not believe that we could both be away from our kids for multiple nights in a row. I had been anticipating this trip since last January when we planned it, and as I prepared for the trip I felt something bubbling up inside of me...what was it...was it just indigestion...no....what could that be....oh yeah, it was the overwhelming feeling that we've arrived! After 11 1/2 months we can actually leave our kids overnight with someone else for a weekend and it isn't traumatic for us or them! Oh. My. We. Have. Arrived. What a feeling.

I can't wait for the next installment of "we've arrived." I wonder what it will be. I'm really hoping it's the Saturday morning sleeping in thing, but something tells me we're a good 5-6 years from that one. Oh well! Whatever it is, I'm sure it will feel so amazing. I'm sure then it will feel like we've really arrived. Ha!