The title of this article is actually a little misleading as technically this weekend wasn’t me time, it was my friend’s time as I was on her hen do. However this is definitely the closest I have come to having me time in the last 11 months!
Although I have left Rory with my mum once overnight, on that occasion I dropped him off at around 6 and was back to collect him at 10 the next morning. So really this was my first proper stay away from the little man and as a result I approached the weekend with trepidation. Whilst really looking forward to a weekend spent with friends, my anxiety about leaving him for two nights rose by the minute. It wasn’t that I didn’t think that he would be OK with his Dad, it was more that I genuinely didn’t know how I’d cope being away from him for so long. However, the hen was for one of my very closest friends and I knew that nothing would stop me from celebrating her impending nuptials and that, realistically, the thought of leaving him would be much worse than the actual doing so.
Therefore on Friday night, after work, I set off in the direction of Cambridge. After a few sat nav issues involving being directed into a private farm, followed by a viewing area for a RAF airfield, I finally made it to my destination to be greeted by a perfect little Center Parcs Lodge, a group of lovely ladies and tea on the table – this was definitely the life!
After a successful night of sleep (yes sleep does still exist), followed by some early morning flower crown crafting, we set off to Cambridge for a punt down the river. Luckily, the weather held out and after a little bit of a punt traffic jam, we enjoyed a leisurely trip taking in the beautiful architecture of the colleges of Cambridge. Fortunately, we had opted for having a professional punter rather than attempting to do it ourselves. After seeing the groups who were attempting it themselves, I definitely would have ended up in the river in minutes! This was followed by a delicious picnic, drinks on a rooftop terrace, a hearty Italian meal and a night out. Yes, yes, you read that correctly a night out, with alcohol and everything! Alcohol and dancing and sticky club carpets; the perfect night out combination! Now I will admit I went very steady on the alcohol, as after barely drinking for the last 2 years I didn’t want to be an absolute mess before the night even started or to lose any memories to the alcohol haze of drunkenness.
The next day after managing a couple of hours kip it was time to pack up and head home. Weirdly this is the point where I started to get a little more emotional, whether that was due to lack of sleep I’m not sure but the thought of seeing my little man again actually got me more emotional than the leaving him in the first place. Personally, I think this was probably the thought of facing the three hour drive home on my own in the scorching heat when all I really wanted to do was click my fingers and be back at home with him.
When I finally made it home, feeling thoroughly exhausted, the smiles on Rory’s face made it all worth it. My heart melted as he kept looking at me again, almost like he was taking me in and checking I really was back and real.
Overall, my first foray in to ‘me time’ was a success. I genuinely had a lovely time with some of my favourite people visiting a beautiful city and enjoying a cheeky drink. And of course Rory was just fine without me and the thought of leaving really was much worse than the reality. Of course I missed him, but the regular photo and video updates throughout the weekend made it much easier and put my mind at ease. I wouldn’t say I will be rushing out for another weekend away anytime soon but this has definitely proved to me that I can survive time apart and so can Rory. Saying that, I cannot wait for my day off tomorrow and to get to spend some quality time with him!
Baby, me and a cold cup of tea 