After a little bout with a stomach bug this weekend, Carter still declared himself ok to make the trip to Greenwood, SC with my parents for a few days all by himself! We've been meaning to make this happen since the Spring and he has a day off from school this week so I thought it was probably a good time if it worked out for my parents. As much as we hated to see him go, he was so excited to get the chance and talked all about what he would do at Nunu and Pop's, like walk George and help Nunu feed the birds and water flowers. He left yesterday afternoon around 2pm and I think Jamey and I (and Cooper, actually!) have been lost ever since. We just haven't known what to do with ourselves without Carter here to keep us going! Being around him all day every day, I think we obviously take for granted just how happy he makes us and how funny he is! We've missed his precious voice and little comments so much and we've both imitated him way too many times to I guess try and fill the void. Cooper walks around the house looking for him and was just wandering around Carter's room looking at me as if to say, "What's going on...where is he?" with such curiosity and innocence.
Saying goodbye wasn't really a big deal (I'm sure it was my coping mechanism to make light of the situation) and we all stood out in the street and waved bye to our happy boy cruising off in Nunu and Pop's car. Once we came inside, I think it just hit me so much more than I realized it would. I knew I'd really miss him, but I didn't think I'd be so sad about it! On one hand, I'm so excited for him and for my parents because I know they love having him there and he definitely loves being there, but selfishly, I guess I want him around because I need him with me! I just couldn't stop crying and I came upstairs to fold some laundry and try to occupy myself but I couldn't get him off of my mind! I felt like everywhere I looked there was some sort of reminder of him, like his empty bed and dark room, or his train table, or his dirty clothes I was washing. I thought I needed a little retail therapy and Jamey agreed (can you believe it!) so I headed to Crabtree just to look around. I found lots of good things, especially for Carter, and came home feeling much better about everything! I was planning to let them call us, but I broke down on my way to Crabtree just to see how it was going! They were all doing well and almost through Charlotte and we planned to just talk to them once they got home. I called a little after 8pm and Carter answered and said, "Hey Mommy and Daddy!" It was just me and I asked what he was doing and he told me he was eating a biscuit for dinner. I immediately heard mom in the background telling him to also tell me the other things he had, like fruit, etc.! He was sweet and seemed to be doing just fine, as we knew he would (it was us we were more worried about handling it). Mom said he told her when they walked in from walking George "Now Lucy, I need a snack!" Where on Earth would he have heard that, Daddy? She said he also told Pop on their walk, "Norman, don't let that leash burn your legs!" He is hysterical and I'm thrilled to hear all the cute stories.
Cooper is doing great but I do think he's not sure what's going on having the house to himself. I thought he'd be more excited to play with all of Carter's things but I guess it isn't as much fun when you're allowed to do it! It has been nice for us to focus all of our attention on Cooper, as he doesn't get us both very often, but we will be happy to have Carter back with us in a few days. I can already say this experience has made us so much more thankful to have such a great family. As much as we feel like we are disciplining Carter every other second, things are just not the same without him! I understand so much more what my parents mean when they say their house is so quiet after we leave! I'm ready to have all the noise back! I didn't realize I would miss it so much. Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.
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