No, not for me. I wish I could go on a business trip. I was only sent on 1-2 trips per year when I worked, so I actually quite enjoyed them and would LOVE to go on any sort of trip right now.
The business trip is for J, who will be shipped off to Silicon Valley next week for three days.
I hadn’t realized that “mid-July” is literally next week, so I had been putting off on making any sort of plan for our household while my better half is on the other side of the country.
Option 1: Stay home and stick to my normal routine as much as possible. Comang will have to be walked while I push Claire in the stroller (I hate doing this because he likes to be extra difficult when the stroller is out with us) and I may have to forgo a couple of showers. Also, I tend not to eat much when J is not here (I sometimes forget to eat. I know, it’s bad, but he has to constantly remind me to eat.) which could be a blessing or a curse. J might return to find our condo in disarray, with an attention-starved dog and a stinky, skinny wife.
Option 2: Ask our part-time nanny to come in for some overtime. However, this will depend entirely on her schedule.
Option 3: Go stay at my parents’ for the duration of J’s trip. While I would appreciate the nighttime help (as both of them will be at work during the day), I’m still pretty iffy on whether Claire will be able to sleep away from home. Take yesterday, for example. Girlfriend refused to sleep for seven hours while we were there. She needs her crib to sleep well.
What would you do?
Update, 7/6/11:
Thank you to everyone for your input. A new situation has arose which will not allow me to take Claire to my parents, so it’ll have to be option 1 or 2 (our nanny has yet to get back to me on her schedule).
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I would go with option 2, that way you can take some showers in peace, and have help. Having Claire able to sleep in her crib would be much easier on both of you, hopefully. 🙂
Option 2 if that worked for the nanny! If not, I would go with #1 and just do your best to take care of yourself knowing that it will be difficult.
Option 2, and if that doesn’t work, then option 3. I vote for what would make it easiest for you, esp. with BebeDeux! If Option 3, Claire may have some trouble adjusting to sleep there initially but after a few days it should be fine. A missed nap or two at the start of your stay may be worth the extra help you’ll get while there! Thinking of you!
Well, I’m going to say option 3. It might be good practice to get Claire accustomed to sleeping elsewhere- a skill that will certainly come in handy- while you have your parents for help at night.
And some tips for that, which anecdotally worked for me: bring a blanket or some bedding that smells like home, bring a white noise maker (we use the innards of the sleep sheep- and leave the actual sheep portion at home), try to keep as many steps of the bedtime routine intact as possible.
Otherwise, I say option 2.
Good luck!
For the past few months we’ve been trying blankets from home, her stuffed giraffe, favorite toys, etc to try to make sleeping someplace else easier for her…but no dice so far. She also knows that her grandmother (my mom) is a complete pushover and so she tends to act up around her. I would LOVE to try to “train” her to sleep better outside of the home, but I’m not sure next week would be the best time as I would be alone with her all day and my parents could only help out at night. I think if we do try to get her to sleep better in other places, it would definitely need to be when J is around to help.
Saw on your FB that you are experiencing writers block.
.. Have you ever attended a blogging conference [outside of weddingbee]? Have you ever considered attending one? [ie: mommy blogger conference, techy blogger conference, etc]
I thought it might be an appropriate tangent from this post [and might get you to go out and experience people for a little bit and let J stay home and play mom :o) ]
I actually don’t like conferences much — I work much better and get less overwhelmed in small groups or one-on-one settings. Nevermind the cost of these things…right now the money I make from ads is nowhere enough to cover the attendance fees, travel expenses, etc. Also, with the new baby on the way J is saving as much vacation days as possible so a solo trip for me isn’t feasible at the moment (and probably won’t be for about a year as I plan on trying to breastfeed with BebeDeux). Maybe in another year or two, if I’m making enough money from this blog and the kiddos won’t mind a long wknd away from mommy. Thanks for the suggestion though!
You hadn’t mentioned this option, so it may be out of the question – would it be possible for your mom to stay with you for just a few days? Good luck either way! 🙂
I wish she could, but both my parents run their own businesses so they can’t take off from work. The drive from our place to either of their stores is about an hour — without traffic — so they wouldn’t be able to stay here overnight either. Thanks for the suggestion though!
i’ll go for option 3 and that’s what i actually do whenever my hubby is away. it actually feels like a vacation for myself with parents around =D
Good for you! Although I appreciate my parents’ help here and there, they actually put more stress on me when they are watching Claire because they don’t really listen to what I tell them regarding her care. (For example, they do not believe in sleep training and Claire KNOWS this, so she will never sleep around them and will keep the entire house up. Or they will feed her new foods without consulting with me first.) Plus, since both of them work I would feel too bad asking them to take “night duty” when they have 13 hours of work the next day.
I would go with option 2 and if that isn’t an option based on her schedule try for option 1. Just remember to eat!
I am in the exact same predicament next week too! My husband, who has never been away from home since our son was born 14 months ago, has to go away for business for 4 nights. I am a SAHM and really look forward to his help at the end of the day so the thought of no relief for 24/7 for that long makes me filled with dread and anxiety. I feel your pain. I have decided that I am going to stay with my parents during that time and hope for a little relief. I truly hope it might be like a mini vacation as another poster said. I would suggest you do the same, especially since you are expecting and have all the added exhaustion from that. I know you are concerned about your daughter’s sleep while at your parent’s house but won’t they be involved with caring for her overnight when you have your second child? Maybe this could be good practice for that.
Good luck!
Actually, my parents’ businesses are open every day so they cannot take any days off — they will not be caring for Claire overnight anytime in the near future (unless I go too). J’s parents will be the ones helping out as they will be visiting from Hong Kong and they can help out at our place.
Also, option #3 is now out of the picture due to recent events which I won’t get into here. (And I have updated this post accordingly.) Thanks for the input though!
Hi Jenny, long time reader of your blog, but rarely comment. I have a 15-month old daugher and am also pregnant with my second.
Anyway, my husband is also away next week for 3 nights on business so I know your pain! I work outside of home so I am not with my daughter the whole day, but it still takes 2 to entertain her at night. I will probably ask my mom to come over a night or two to keep us company.
Too bad that the third option isn’t available anymore, but hopefully your nanny can work overtime. If not, can your SIL or sister come over at night to keep you company? I find that even just having someone there to talk to helps a lot. Good luck!
I’m not a mom, so I don’t have a whole lot of advice, but I just had to comment that I’m glad I’m not the only one who forgets to eat! I’m unemployed right now, and there are days when I just forget lunch. If my husband’s not around to ask me what I’m having for lunch, I’m hopeless!
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