The plunge

We did it.  We took the plunge.  We left our first-born with a babysitter who was not a grandparent, aunt, or uncle.

So, it was our second wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.  We hadn't ever intended to go out together to celebrate, because we don't have any family nearby to watch Hollie.  And leaving her with a stranger is just not something we're ready for yet.  Or even a friend - because all of our friends here are people we've only known for about a year (or less), and none of them have kids...need I say more?

But then we found out recently that two of said friends (we'll call them R and M), a married couple about our age, are expecting their first child!  They offered to babysit for us sometime, to get some practice.

I'm not sure, but they may have been joking at first.  Really, it's not the greatest idea to start out with a 15-month-old to...get some practice.

Like I said, seeking out another person, friend or stranger, to take care of our baby girl, alone, in our house or anywhere else, was just not something we could bring ourselves to do...but when they just flat-out offered...

...we thought, what the heck?  It will be good her, good for us, and good for them.  A win-win-win.  And it's not like we're leaving the planet.  This is Wichita...we'll be twenty minutes away, tops.  :)

R and M have already spent some time at our house, with Hollie, so at least they weren't completely unfamiliar to her.  After they came over to the house, Hollie was sitting in M's lap eating a snack out of a bowl within a half hour.

We kissed her (Hollie) goodbye, and went into the garage.  Our plan was to sit out there for 5 or 10 minutes, and if she hadn't stopped crying by then, we would call the whole thing off and not go.  In our limited experience (leaving her with grandparents), she typically fusses a little when we leave, but calms down soon and has plenty of fun when she realizes that grandparents are awesome.

Imagine our surprise, as we stood out there with our ears pressed to the door, not hearing a peep from inside!  I was relieved for about two seconds until I thought...oh no, she didn't realize we were leaving.  She's going to freak out later, and this is all going to backfire horribly.

But, out we went.  Had a good time.  Sweated a little, thinking about Hollie, but mostly had a good time.  We only called once to check up, and she was still doing great.  I tried my first ever martini (bleh), and Daniel had a Bloody Mary garnished with a stick of beef jerky instead of celery.

When we got back home, we found Hollie fast asleep in M's lap even though it was well before bedtime.  I guess they wore her out!  They said she never fussed, though she did lead them around the house by the finger, presumably looking for us.

When she woke up and saw me, she got this bewildered look on her face and came right over for a big hug.  She didn't seem upset at all, until...R and M started to leave!  How bizarre!  I feel kind of good about the fact that she was sad to see them go.  It really helped to alleviate my mommy-guilt over the whole thing.

Despite the overall success of the evening, we don't have any plans in the works for another.  However, I cannot wait to baby-sit for them!  It will be so interesting to see how Hollie does she doesn't have our undivided attention.  Because that could be the case...at some point...

Note: I should mention that this post is really outdated.  The anniversary was June 7th, and the night out was the 10th.