Yesterday Jenny took a well-deserved break from Brenden duty and went to Canton with my sister (taking a well-deserved break from her own mommyhood) and my mom. I stayed home (Canton makes me twitch) so Brenden and I could have Guy Day. It wasn’t the first time I’d kept him alone, but it was one of the longest days.

It’s always interesting to stay home and have full charge of a little person. He was fully dependent on me, and only me, for his food, sleep, diapers, and safety. If something weird happened, I had to fix it. I could call the expert, but she was 2 hours away. Brenden’s routine is pretty solid, and most of the time we can figure out what’s wrong when he’s upset, so I used those facts to my advantage. We actually had a very nice day: a couple of solid meals and bottles, a loooooong morning nap and a shorter afternoon nap, and lots of playing. Since it was Guy Day, we had to make a run to Lowe’s for a home improvement product (single-pole light switches this time to replace our dimmers – don’t worry, I’ll handle the wiring). To make Grampy proud, we also went to Sam’s (one of his favorite stores) and got some light bulbs. During his naps and solo play time, I also managed to unpack some boxes, lay some contact paper, and put away some laundry. I felt very domestic. I should have made a cake or something.

Finally Jenny came home. Even though I’m glad she gets to take breaks, it’s always reassuring when she gets back. She’s more experienced with babies than I am and knows Brenden’s signs and routine better. In IT terms, she is the Level 2 support, the one who gets the calls that the Level 1 people like me can’t handle.

I also got to experience firsthand something that Jenny has described several times: babies steal part of your brain when you’re around them long enough. I used to have (I think) a pretty good memory and was fairly responsible. I could show up on time for an appointment or party. If I made a mental note to do something, I did it. But after a day of watching B and then scrambling to gather all his stuff for church, I forgot a crucial ingredient for a Brenden meal: a bib. At least I remembered the diapers!