Hardest Trip Yet

There were tears in my eyes as I said goodbye to Dr Pop on Monday afternoon as he headed for a series of meetings out of town, not to return until this evening. I seriously hate it when he goes out of town for more than just a day. It’s like there’s a gaping hole in my life when he’s gone, even if most of our conversations go something like this:

Me: What do you want for dinner?
Dr Pop: Whatever. I don’t know.
Me: Want me to go to the store?
Dr Pop: If you want.
Me: Well let’s think about it and then decide
Several hours and many TV shows later…
Dr Pop: I thought you were going to the store…

Yes, we’re very intellectual folks down here. Whenever he’s gone, I usually have a hard time falling asleep. I end up smooshing all of his pillows around me in the middle of the bed so that I can be surrounded. Weird, I know. Especially since I don’t like to be crowded. I miss his leg touching mine and I miss punching him because his light snoring is keeping me up.

I end up doing laundry until well into the night and this trip was no different. There are no dirty clothes. Except for the sheets. Which need to be changed. But I can’t do that by myself. Because we need to flip the mattress.

This time around, though, I got to experience something I’d never experienced before… The stomach flu. By myself. Except for the three year old who was depending on me for everything. But I’m slowly getting better and finally made it back to work today. And Little Pop was so good that last night I bought him a prize at Wal-Mart (there’s a new Diego movie out). I have the sweetest kid! And I really, really enjoyed him these past two days. Yesterday morning, I awoke to the gentle snores of my little one as he snuggled next to me. Awesome moment. We’ve taken our time the past three mornings, and not rushed out the door. In fact, I overslept this morning, my first day back to work, and still we were just fine and stress-free.

When Little Pop was younger and I stayed at home, it seemed that I never got sick. I don’t know how I managed it, but it just never happened. I think I’m making up for lost time or something, but I’ve been getting sick with a little more frequency. And all the time, Dr Pop has been there, helping, taking over all of the household duties (the things I hate to do, but hate letting go of). And I never appreciated all the little things he’s done for me while I’m sick until this time, when he couldn’t be there.

Tonight I’ll have dinner waiting (a chicken slow cooked in the crock pot all day) as a thank you. And all of his clothes will be clean. :)