Mornings are pretty routine around here. Mason wakes up first (or sometimes I do but I always go back to sleep - while he, doesn't). I grab my mobile phone off the charger, put my glasses on and Mason stands up so I can carry him to the living room. He tends to have 'sea legs' when he wakes up and sometimes he trips. He usually has a blankie grasped in one hand and the other hand is tightly around my neck.
I sit him on the couch, turn on channel 43 and warm up some milk. I get a 'thank you' when I give him the sippy cup and I proceed to make him breakfast. Or more lately than not, no breakfast as he won't eat it. I go through the list, "Do you want 'enter food item here'?". No, no, no, yes (sometimes a yes is actually a no). I gave him cheerios but they ended up on the floor instead of his belly.
Once he wakes up, he runs around. I bought him a bright yellow ball at the dollar store yesterday. He is pushing it around the living room with a shovel. I ask him if he wants a hockey stick. He repeats 'hockey stick'. I return to the kitchen to prepare his lunch. Sometimes I do this the night before but last night I was actually tired and slept before 2 am (been having bouts of insomnia lately). Mason has a cute little monkey backpack that Papa got him for school. It goes back and forth between his Dad's house and mine. I fill it up with healthy and nutritious food. It makes me feel good that his Dad and I give him a wide range of foodies. I'm surprised with how many parents give their toddlers lots of juice and chocolate! In moderation is fine but some get more than others.
The lunch is made and I decide to take the rest of the 2 litre milk to the daycare as it will go bad by the time Mason is back here in 7 days. I don't drink milk, let alone whole milk. I get Mason cleaned up, teeth brushed (he does it by himself!) and dressed. Rain jacket and boots as I'm assuming it's a dreary day. I get dressed as well.
We open the door and it's a monsoon outside. I contemplate for a minute whether I should drive the entire 1 min to school (it's down the block) and then decide against it. A bit of wet won't kill us. Mason doesn't want to walk in the rain and points at my car and asks for 'Elmo'. I have a car dvd player that has an elmo dvd in it for long road trips. I carry Mason to school.
He points at birds, trees and airplanes. Sings little songs and is very cheery. Finally we get to school and it's another routine. Jacket and shoes off Mason and slippers on. I sign Mason in and hang his stuff up. His lunch bag gets emptied into a basket in the fridge and I fill out another form stating when he woke up, when he last ate and if he brought any toys with him (mini plane). Out of site, Mason comes looking for me. He wants a hug. I told him earlier that his Daddy would be picking him up today. He misses his Dad. I'm not sure if he realizes that he won't see me for a week. Maybe so. He refuses to leave my side and keeps asking to be hugged.
One of the cutie little girls there 'A' sees me giving Mason hugs and she wants one too. She has flaming red hair and looks like a doll. Mason isn't liking me hugging some other kid. I explain to him that as a Mom, I'm allowed to hug other kids just like his teachers are allowed to hug him. And with that, it's time for one last hug, a kiss and I tell him I love him. He runs to the window so he can wave to me as I walk up the street.
The short walk home is cold and wet. As I enter my home, it is so silent you could hear a pin drop. Mason's everything is strewn about. His shovel and yellow ball are abandoned on the floor. Bits of cheerios surround them and it's all a reminder that I have a messy house and I'm without my little boy for seven long days.
The silence is deafening sometimes.
I miss you Masey.