Clowning around (without our little clown)

It had been 29 months — since early May 2006 — since I’d slept without a Baby B nearby if you include the time I was pregnant with her. That streak came to an end on Saturday night, however, when The Husband and I made our way to Cincinnati — sans kid — for a night together as grown-ups. We didn’t really have a need to make an overnight trip, but the only person who currently watches Baby B (The Best Friend) is pregnant with her own lovely daughter (due in January), so we figured we should plan an overnight trip before she has a rugrat of her own to watch.

We settled on the Cirque du Soleil show Saltimbanco that was touring nearby, and it was fantastic. This was our fourth Cirque show, and each one is just so visually stunning that I sit and watch the whole thing with my mouth gaping open. This one moved me to instant tears a couple of times, once when they revealed the stage and I saw how vibrant the set and costumes were, and once when they pulled off what seemed to be a more-impossible-than-usual maneuver on the trapeze. I’m normally one who doesn’t like clowns — I definitely stay as far away as I can — but the Cirque clowns are so entertaining and really know how to draw a laugh. I find the shows 100% worth the money.

After the show, we went back to the hotel briefly before heading downtown for nice steak dinner. (This place was so nice that side items didn’t come with the entrees; you had to order them separately. What do you mean that a baked potato doesn’t come with the steak that costs more than our monthly water bill?) Pricey it was, but it was even more tasty than I anticipated.

We didn’t have a rule against talking about Baby B, but we did try to keep the chatter about her to a minimum, and I think we did pretty well. Her name came up occasionally, but we proved that we do have many other things to talk about (despite what it feels like some days).

Somehow I resisted calling to check in. We pondered calling at bedtime and saying goodnight to her, but I was afraid that it might upset or confuse her, and I wanted bedtime to go well.

The drive home felt longer than normal, but it was fantastic to be greeted by the sight of Baby B pushing her doll stroller on the sidewalk when we turned onto our street. All reports indicate that things went well at home in our absence, which just confirmed what I knew would happen.

It was great to get away and remember our life before Baby B, but we were definitely happy to rejoin her and pick up where we left off. She’s not my whole life, but she’s a big part of it, and I love her so, so much.