Mommy Who?

Today is Day 2 of our Grand Experiment: can Tenley be left alone with her Grandparents for 1 week +??
The Experiment came sooner than we thought it would. We hadn't planned on leaving her alone for a week until fall when we would go on a Mom & Dad vacation without her. Each month when we would venture to the center of the state to see Jeff's parents, we would leave her alone with them overnight to get used to the idea...so far with disastrous results. But we were going to be visiting last weekend, and the Grandparents had plans to be down here next weekend, so Grandma asked if she could keep the Tenster for the week. Jeff wasn't so sure...leave his baby for a week? He said no. Then he realized that we were only 4 hours away which was better than 4 states or 4 days away and decided to ask me what I thought. My response was to begin packing Tenley and to e-mail my Mother In Law to inquire if she'd like more than a week. I have been giddy with the excitement of a Tenley-free week ever since.

We left for Clovis before dawn on Friday, and we were delighted when Ten immediately recognized her Grandparents and went running to see them. She was well behaved and slept through the night on Friday & Saturday. She headed off to church on Sunday morning and trotted into the nursury without a backward glance.

While they were at church, Jeff and I were packing and fretting. How should we leave? Sneak out or say good bye & let her watch us drive away? What if she thought she was being abandond again? What if she didn't sleep or cried all the time? Was this too soon? Eventually our common sense prevailed and we realized that we sould say goodbye, if there were problems we could come get her, and that we knew their families who had left their kids far sooner with no damage done.

After church and a Happy Father's Day lunch at Claim Jumper, we decided to say goodbye and hit the road. We shouldn't have bothered. Tenley didn't give a hoot about us wanting to give hugs, kisses, declarations of love and trying to meaningfully tell her that we would come for her- she was far more interested in getting Grandpa to go get in her pool with her. She didn't even wave bye-bye...but we did, and we missed her even as we drove away.

Apparently, she hasn't missed us. She did search the house for us yesterday when she woke up, and pointed to our pictures...but then she saw the dog and her pool and we were forgotton. Of course, why pine for parents who say "no" when you have Grandma who gives you frosted animal cookies for breakfast??