Week 23: Date nights

Like all other parents my husband and I get completely consumed by our children. Of course we love it and wouldn’t have it any other way, but we all know parents need a date night every now and then. Our week nights usually consist of two extremely tired parents trying to get babies to bed so we can have a little alone time before the both of us end up crashing. On the weekends we either go out to dinner as a family (a very early dinner) or stay in with something like pizza. We use the weekends like every one else. Time to relax and try to do a whole lot of nothing.
Our “date nights” now usually consist of putting the kiddos to bed early and getting a Red Box movie. Now that I’m 23 weeks pregnant I NEVER feel like getting dressed up. What pregnant woman wants to wear jeans all day? I thank my husband every day that I’m able to be a stay-at-home mom. This means pj’s or sweat pants 90 percent of the time, and I feel like that is completely acceptable when you’re pregnant. But like any other woman I love the opportunity to get dressed up and to have some alone time with my husband.
This day started off like any other day. As soon as my feet hit the floor I was going full speed. After I dropped Addie Rivers off at school I came home to start laundry, clean the bathrooms and attempt to work out and shower before I had to go pick her up. It ended up being three hours that felt like 20 minutes. While I was folding laundry my phone rang. It was Barrett. I figured he was calling to ask a question or ask me to run an errand, but it was the complete opposite. “Be ready to leave the house at 6 tonight. I got a babysitter from 6 to 8, so you and I could go out to dinner.”
It took us two years before we left Addie Rivers with a sitter. We don’t have family where we live, so it always ends up easier just taking her with us. But those “date nights” turn into us trying to keep her from pouring salt all over the table or banging her silverware. We finally realized she was fine if we left her for a couple of hours to go out to dinner alone.
At the beginning of January Barrett and I decided we would have one night a month where we would go on a date. If it’s to go to dinner or just go for ice cream. We want to have one night a month where we can focus on each other. I know in four months that will change and little Hayes will probably tag along with us for a few months. One thing I’ve realized as a parent is that the children are happiest when their parents are happy with each other. So I think one of the most important things for us to do to prepare for the new baby is have alone time. Two children later, I feel like we are finally getting the hang of this parenting thing. So come on Hayes, we are ready for ya!