On July 23rd, Nina had minor surgery on her back; don’t worry, she is doing good and each day is better than the previous. Dr. Dad and Nurse Niko are taking good care of her. We make sure she has drinks in the mini fridge upstairs and I have been providing lots of hot meals for her. She has been hanging out in the bedroom and doing some short walks upstairs. When she does venture downstairs, it’s a quick slow walk to gather a few things and then back upstairs.
On that day, Niko and I dropped her off at 11 am and picked her up around 6:00 pm. It was a lot of driving and sitting in traffic as the place she had it was very close to where I work. I felt horrible leaving her alone, but at the same time, I had to take care of Niko. Under normal conditions; meaning no pandemic, I probably would’ve had some help with Niko from my parents.
Niko kept asking me is this how school is…dropping off and picking up? I replied, yes, because we dropped off mom and will pick her up later. And, she can tell us everything she did! Nina called it a rescuing Princess Mama adventure which Niko loved.
The day before, Niko and I packed a lunch bag full of snacks and a backpack full of fun things to do. I even allowed him to have his iPad and he could use my mobile hotspot. He didn’t even touch his backpack, but did munch on the food as soon we left Friday morning. He was also happy to have his iPad to watch YouTube Kids.
Several days before, I was telling Niko that after we drop her off, we can stop at Trader Joes. Niko was excited because he wanted to see if he could push a big cart instead of a smaller one. I also promised him a shake for when we pick her up.
The morning of July 23rd he woke up super early as he was excited because I had ordered a lego set a few days before and it arrived on Thursday night. We or should I say, I put it together in the morning and everywhere he went, the little RV camper went; yeah, even in the car for both drives.
At Trader Joes, the big cart was a great size for him and I allowed him to pick stuff without saying no. He had such a wonderful time shopping. He didn’t bump into anybody or crash into a shelf! He even got red roses for Nina. We gave him a budget of $100 and he went over by only $6. He got some good food for us.
There is a new Whataburger by our house and on our way to pick her up, we drove through for shakes. But, dude, they were out of ice cream! So, I went to another Whataburger and got us both some shakes.
One of my biggest concerns was once we got home around 7:30 pm, I had to quickly feed him and get him ready for nighttime. Well, I did swell as I had him in bed and sleeping by about 8:15 pm. He was tired and didn’t fight it. I still got him at 2:30 am for a pee, but he ended up sleeping in till about 8:30 the following day.
On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (I took that day off from work and am taking another day this Friday), it was Niko and I doing what we usually do on the weekends…relax and play. I did get him out Monday morning for breakfast tacos and a smoothie.
On Tuesday and today, it went very easy for Niko and I, even though I had to work both those days. I camped out on the upstairs sofa so I could be next to him and was able to interact with him. Even the evenings went easy as we played and ate dinner together upstairs while we watched Pup Academy on Netflix.
One thing we have done differently during the preparation phase of nighttime is we have cuddled with Nina in our bed, instead of his bed. Nina enjoys it because he she gets some Niko loving and I know Niko likes it because he doesn’t complain! Tucking him in afterwards in his bed has been very quick as he is ready for sleeping.
As for me, after he is in his bed, I can finally get some alone and quiet time for me. Well, before that happens, I have to make sure Nina is good; that is my Caretaker personality showing up.
