This weekend is another first for our little family.  It will be the first time Mr. MPB and I leave Little MPB over night.  Now, I have to start by admitting I never thought I’d be that mom, the one who doesn’t leave her kid with anyone.  And I’m not when it comes to during the day – he goes to daycare, and he has spent time with my parents for the odd date night and even paid babysitters.

We’ve had plenty of nights with one of us away – my work means I’m in a hotel a night or two every month, Mr. MPB goes away hunting for multiple nights every fall and I even took a solo cross country trip.  However, nights away with both Mr. MPB and I have never happened.  We do not live near family so we do not have anyone we would ask to stay with Little MPB over night.  Combined with the fact we’ve had no real reason and/or desire to leave him over night, it’s just never come up before.

Photo Source (Adapted from original): Office.com Clip Art

But this weekend will mark the first time someone else is responsible to put Little MPB to bed, to help him go back sleep if he wakes up in the middle of the night and to snuggle him in the morning.  My parents are taking him for a night, while Mr. MPB and I are going for an evening out on the city. Our hope is that playing all day with cousins will exhaust him so he’ll sleep soundly.  Our fear is that he will not go to sleep and will have a tear-filled all-nighter.

I’m honestly not too worried about my parents – between the two of them they have raised 4/5 kids, and multiple grand-kids so they’ve had way more sleepless nights then we ever have.  Of course, they are older now, so an all-nighter probably wont be as “easy” as it once was.  But, between the two of them, they’ll be fine.  And Little MPB, he’ll be fine too.  I’m hoping he surprises all of us and sleeps through the night for them, but we all have our doubts as he doesn’t typically sleep well when we aren’t at home.  And even if it goes poorly, I think there is something to be said for him to learn that other people will be there for him when his parents are away.

Truthfully, I think Mr. MPB and I will be the ones struggling the most.  We will want to know how he’s doing, we will worry about if he’s sleeping or not, etc.  Mr. MPB will ask me 10+ times throughout the day/night away to text my parents and see how Little MPB is doing.  And, I will be the one who waste my first real opportunity to sleep in by waking up at 6am, and I’ll be bored sitting in a hotel room listening to Mr. MPB snore away the morning wishing I had Little MPB there to play with.

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