My parents arrived in New York the day after Christmas with a suitcase full of gifts, but perhaps the best present they gave me was the gift of sleep.
Edith is usually a good sleeper at night, but on Saturday night -- the last night my parents were here -- she wasn't having any of it. She wasn't hungry, but she wouldn't go to sleep. Mom heard the fussing from the spare room and offered to rock Edith to sleep. They were in the recliner from about 4 to 8:30 a.m., and I got a glorious four and a half hours of sleep without worries.
That probably wasn't the highlight of their visit, but it was a nice bonus for me! Either way, having my parents visit during the same days that Paul and I would normally be staying with them almost made it feel like we were home for Christmas after all.
In addition to spending plenty of quality time with Edith, my parents did me two huge favors. The first was pretty conventional: they babysat Edith while Paul was at work and I had a doctor's appointment. The second was just as helpful: They got me out of the house.
Paul watched Edith on Friday night while I went to Manhattan (for the first time since her birth), both to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and to eat at Junior's with my parents. The next day, Paul and Edith stayed home again while Mom, Dad and I made a quick trip to Century 21.
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| Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 2012 |
Mom and Dad brought plenty of clothes, toys and books for Edith, and, of course, Paul and I got some nice presents, too. But I'd take a few hours of sleep, a few hours out of the house and the visit from my parents themselves over and above them all.
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