Tuesday nights are my only recurring nights with none of the children. So it is with great surprise that I find myself with a Baby C story to share with you this morning.
I had barely been home from work 10 minutes last evening when I heard the door knob on my front door begin to jiggle. This normally means either my niece or one of my nephews is here for a visit. They normally aren’t over until later in the evening, but whatever. I got up and opened the front door to find my mother and Baby C standing on the other side.
“Is everything okay?” I asked my mother.
“Yes, he just wanted to stop by and see you.” It was 5 o’clock. His mom normally picked him up in about 20 minutes.
“Oh, okay.” I opened the door the rest of the way and Baby C walked into the house and promptly turned around and slammed the door in my mother’s face.
“What are you doing, honey? You have to go with grandma so mommy can pick you up!” I told him.
He pointed toward the back patio where his Little Tikes car was parked. “My car?”
“Okay, we can ride in your car.” I told mom I would just keep Baby C with me and let his mother know that I had him. I told Baby C to give his grandmother some love and that we would then go ride in his car. He gave my mother a hug and a kiss, then slammed the front door in her face again. Sigh.
“Okay, let’s go, Daddy!” he excitedly exclaimed as he sprinted toward the back door. I slipped on my flip-flops and we headed out.
It had rained quite a bit over the weekend so I had to clean off the car so he didn’t get soaked while we traversed the neighborhood. Once I had the car as dry as I could get it, he hopped in and I commenced pushing him around the neighborhood.
We made it most of the way around the block before he kicked open the door and tried to get out – while the car was still moving. I closed the door and told him to wait until we got back to the house to get out of the car.
Once we were back at the front door he got out of the car and I asked him what he wanted to do. He pointed toward my mom’s house and said, “That way.” Then he got behind the car and started pushing it. He likes pushing the cars more than riding in them for some reason.
By this time it was already 5:20 and his mother would be there soon. I told him he could push the car around the house, but we weren’t going to grandma’s. He tried to go that way anyhow, but at that moment his mother pulled up.
He was excited about his mother’s arrival until he found out that meant he was leaving and couldn’t play with his car anymore. He began bawling.
“Don’t you want to go see mommy?” I asked.
He just wailed and pointed to his car.
“You can ride in your car when we get home,” his mother tried. He has a similar car at their house.
He continued to wail and pointed again to his car.
“Do you want to see granny?” I asked him.
“Yeeeeeeeees,” he whined through crocodile tears.
“Well you have to go with mommy, then,” I explained.
He started wailing again and pointing to his car. My poor baby.
I gave him a hug and a kiss and told him to have a good time with mommy and granny. “Okay,” he sobbed. I then told him to be a good boy for them. “Be good boy,” he whimpered sadly. Then I told him I love him. “Love you,” he whined.
And then he was gone. I watched as she drove away with my baby and I waved to him as they left. Then, it was just me.
I’ve lived this, I know how it feels. You paint the pictures so clearly my friend. A wonderful post.
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Thank you.
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Aw, poor baby C. Poor TD, too. And poor granny. 😉
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No ‘aw shucks’?
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Not yesterday.
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Ahh man, my heart! I’m so sorry 😦 You amaze me with how you bring your feelings out in your writing; you really do have a gift.
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Thank you!
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That’s prime whine time for my kids, especially if they miss their naps. And those boys sure do love their cars!
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They do. He loves his cars.
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I don’t blame him. The car at your house is much cooler.
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I agree that red one is just creepy.
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LOL. I never noticed the eyes before. He’s on something…
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Lol. He likes to ride it to the playground and fill the trunk up with dirt.
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You must be one hell of an amazing dad! So much emotion in such simple writing, wonderful as always!
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Thank you. I don’t know if I’d say amazing, but I try my best.
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Pish pawsh.
There ain’t no need to be so modest.
😀
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I’m not, really. That’s how I feel.
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I’ll be honest.
I am a very fast reader; the vertical and horizontal reading types. Your posts make me slow down and want to take in every word because I know there are laughs and emotions hidden in them.
I am so glad to have seen your blog (courtesy the awesome name).
So, I know you may have heard it n number of times, you are amazing!
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Thank you very much for your kind words. Really.
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🙂
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The kid was the same age when we still had switch-off days and I remember those feelings even now. I am sorry Baby C had to leave, but I am glad you got the unexpected time with him.
(If that one car is on speed, then the other one is on steroids.)
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Something about your sons almost nonsense logic as a child , charming.
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Really, I find his logic maddening sometimes…lol
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Haha ! Do not doubt that . But what an unintentional pulling of the heartstrings sometimes !
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Oh, I know.
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awwww… man… sniffle… but hey, if he likes pushing cars better than riding in them, I have a car he can buy…
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No thanks. He’s already got two…
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This would be better exercise.
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Just what I need.
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Gets great gas mileage… when you are pushing it…
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Poor everybody yesterday.
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The horn on that thing does sound kinda cool.
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Nope. It’s a big, bad ass truck horn! HOOOOOOOOOONK!
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Haha, nope. It’s not cute at all. It’s a man’s car. Roar.
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Indeed.
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Yes, that blue one is just as huge as it looks, which is why it stays on the porch. It takes up half the living room…
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I absolutely do not “like” this post. I have a best friend who went through all this. He was heartbroken as before the break up he was at home with the kids. Very hard times, but for him anyway life has greatly improved and he has a lovely relationship with his children, despite a very difficult separation and court appearances for access. This is so hard for you. Keep doing what your doing it sounds like you are doing just perfect with your family.
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Sadly, I’ve been a part-time father for the twins almost 7 years now and it’s something I’ve become accustomed to. It took a long time for the heartbreak to dissipate, but it did after a few years.
With Baby C, I knew the deal with being a part-time dad. It still hurts, but not like it did with the twins since I knew what I was in for.
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Don’t suppose it makes it any easier when you have to hand them back or not have them around. My brother used to find the post visits house unbearable, although like you say, in time he got through it Well written post.
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Indeed. It is sad, but something I’ve gotten used to.
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It’s all about the wheels.
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It is.
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When I watch Louis CK talk about his time without his children I think of you. It’s gut wrenching. I don’t know how you do it.
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Well, it’s something I’ve gotten used to, unfortunately. It was rough the first couple of years. Very rough. As in, doc give me some pills rough. But I’ve adjusted to it and it’s a lot easier these days.
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I love the baby C stories, they always make me smile 🙂
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Yay!
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Awww I’m glad you both had a short visit anyway. 🙂
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I was gonna say aw, but everyone beat me to it. Aw,shucks.
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Me, too.
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Lol.
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Kids do the darndest things. Awesome car!
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Thanks!
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My heart breaks…
I know it must have been a wonderful surprise to have him stop by, to want to spend time with you (or at least the car he has to play with at your house), but to then have to see him leave again, one more time than you already have to see him leave…
You are a stronger man than me.
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Well, as I’ve said in previous comments, it’s something I got used to with the twins. It took a long, long time, but I eventually adjusted to it.. I still miss them when they’re gone, but it doesn’t destroy me like it once did.
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I’m sorry you’ve had to get used to it. I’m sorry you had to adapt like that.
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Yeah, well, it was either that or stay trapped in an abusive marriage….neither option was really appealing. I held out as long as I could.
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You made the right choice.
It’s amazing how adaptable we are. Life can throw hurdle after hurdle in our path and, for the most part, we will figure out a way to keep clearing them. As much as I rant about the doom of our species, I am equally impressed with how we continually manage to survive.
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There are many good aspects of humanity. Sadly, it’s all the bad ones the make the news and get publicity.
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“bad” sells… that’s why I stopped buying it. No news in my house beyond what I find scrolling the internet for other things.
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Same here. I only found out about that shit in Kenya because of a news break during football the other day.
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Yahoo front page news blurb… the day after, I think.
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Awe!
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Yeah…
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Ouch. Easier to deal with when they’re whiney and annoying. But no. Not the easiest thing to handle.
Niece does that kind of thing sometimes. Gets me every time.
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It’s tough sometimes. He still has moments sometimes when he just doesn’t want to leave. Or he asks where mommy is. The whole thing really sucks sometimes.
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