I have newfound respect and admiration for single parents. These next 10 days I went solo with Emma. I still couldn’t believe she was actually with me. We couldn’t get outside due to the cold and icy pavement, so I found creative ways of keeping her entertained and happy. Playing, rocking/holding, lots of singing, reading and just being together.
We successfully got through a bath with no crying. The hotel staff immediately embraced her, and gratefully helped me when we ventured downstairs for breakfast. I tried out our fun Bjorn carrier, which she liked quite a bit. The love and joy Joe and I feel for Emma is not measurable or easily put into words. Suffice it to say that we’re thoroughly smitten!
The challenges of these first days were many-- no internet and not being able to talk with Joe, or reach our US docs was really tough; caring for a sick baby without a local pediatrician; not being able to get outside for some fresh air or little walk; a power outage that left us very cold one evening; and minimal English spoken with hand gestures and pictures used for communicating. Probably the most difficult time was the evening of the power outage, as our room became increasingly colder and she wasn’t able to stay asleep. In the wee hours of the morning, I had finally rocked her to sleep. Exhausted and worried and cold, I looked down at her beautiful face, and tears streamed down my own face. What am I going to do I thought? And then, an amazing thing happened. Emma opened her eyes, looked up at me, and touched my face. My mind raced through all the previous psych books I had read about the age that children develop empathy. Yet, here was this seven month old baby, showing empathy, like she knew.
In that instant I knew that we were going to be OK. So I rallied my strength and just rocked her right back to sleep. It was the most poignant, special moment I’ve ever experienced. And my heart was filled with love and gratitude for this little angelic baby.
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