Eating Out Again
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Wednesday, December 30, 2009 10:06 PM
On January 3, 2009, my husband and I went out for a fancy dinner. I was eight months pregnant, and as we ate delicious fondue he mentioned that it would be a while before we’d get another chance to have a really nice meal out together. I’m an optimist, so I thought it might not be so long. He’s a realist, and he predicted that it would be one year.
Although we’ve had a few short meals at nearby chain restaurants since my sister came to live with us this fall, tonight was the first time since January that we’ve had the trifecta of perfect circumstances - time, funds, and childcare - so that we could have dinner at a gourmet restaurant in town.
My husband was right: January 3rd to December 30th is almost exactly one year.
While we enjoyed salmon and scallops this evening, we remembered last year’s meal and how far away January 2010 felt then. We talked about it that night, looking forward to when our as-yet-unborn baby would be at least ten months old, crawling around and interacting. He would be so much different from the tiny newborn we were anticipating meeting soon after that.
For me, the end of the first year feels like a finish line of sorts. I love babies, but I struggle with parenting them. Toddlers, on the other hand, are great. I really enjoyed Camilla’s toddler years, and I can’t wait for Blaise to become a toddler himself.
A year ago we went out for a fancy dinner and our baby was seven pounds, floating in amniotic fluid. Tonight we went out for a fancy dinner and came home to a little guy who launched himself into my arms and waved happily at the rest of the family as I carried him off to bed. I’m grateful for the past year with Blaise, for the privilege of watching him grow through his first eleven months, but I’m even more excited for the chance to watch him grow through the next year.
Now that our little guy will be a toddler, we’ll probably have more chances for dinners out, too. Which is not an inconsiderable benefit.
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