I am always excited when Diego hits his milestones. Well, I’m a combination of excited and worried about how I am going to keep him out of trouble but by and large I feel great happiness at his continued development. 

There are milestones that are shared, firsts that I take an active role in. This past Sunday my husband and I went to the movies together for the first time since July 20, 2012 when we went to see The Dark Knight Rises. I was about six months pregnant then and I went to the bathroom a lot! His aunt and uncle in West Palm Beach offered to watch Diego for a few hours so we could go out. We took them up on this offer and drove the forty minutes to Palm Beach. 

I was nervous and excited. I knew Diego would be perfectly fine and well cared for. What I was worried about was myself. I have an anxiety problem that rears its ugly head from time to time. I feared a full on panic attack but thankfully none of my fears were realized. I was cucumber cool and at ease. Diego was as well. I said goodbye to him and kissed his head before calmly walking out. 

Iron Man 3 was everything I hoped it would be. I loved it. I loved spending time with my husband without worrying about anything but being with him. The little bit of guilt I felt for leaving Diego was washed down with a diet coke and small bag of popcorn. On a more serious note I think feeling guilty is normal and even healthy. It means we care but it also means we actually did something for ourselves. 

Being a parent is demanding. It is a responsibility that has no end, no hours of operation. It is a constant, ever-changing task that can test our patience and ability to operate without sleep. Parents need to care for themselves and each other. I don’t know when the right time is to leave your baby in the care of somebody else. For some that is four weeks after birth when both parents must return to work. As a stay at home mom the timeline is different for me. I needed to do this because I believe it’s important for both of us to get used to spending time away from each other. 

I am so very thankful to my husband’s aunt and uncle for taking such good care of Diego. He is my everything and it felt so good to know he was in good hands. I’ve seen them with him and they love him so much. They’re also very comfortable with him. That’s important. Babies, like dogs, can sense discomfort and fear. If you’re unsure or scared they will pick up on that and get scared as well. A good care taker is many things but among these is confident. If you look the part the baby will trust you. That is my Dog Whisperer inspired baby behavior analysis of the day. 

Here are some pictures just because. They’re not really related to this post.