Sunday, December 30, 2007

Not Exactly the Extended Vacation I Would Have Requested

My grandmother died at 2:30 this morning. I'm glad I was able to be with her when she died.

Bump and Lumpyhead will leave for DC tomorrow as originally planned. Lula and I will stay for the funeral, which is Thursday, and return to DC on Friday.

We weighed lots of factors in coming to this decision, including cost, convenience, and feasibility. For example, we immediately ruled out the option of Bump returning to DC with both kids tomorrow while I stayed here, based on Lula's behavior on the flight out. (I'm super-psyched that I'm getting the naughty one.)

If we thought Bump's presence would be helpful over the next few days, he would stay -- even though he's pretty sick of being here. (There's not much to do here. And by "not much" I mean "absolutely nothing.") But he is likely to spend his time simply wrangling Lumpyhead and Lula, and he would rather be in DC - where the living room is child-proofed and Lumpyhead’s sleep environment is constant - if his sole directive is caring for his own children.

We considered keeping our original itinerary plus a new round-trip flight, meaning I would fly back with Bump and the tormentors tomorrow, leave them in DC and return to Minnesota for the funeral. But that was actually more expensive than all four of us staying in Minnesota until Friday, and it meant a lot more air travel for me, so, no.

But now Bump is separating our things into two piles - go and stay - and I am second-guessing our decision. I realize I've never been away from Lumpyhead for longer than a day or two, and I miss him already. I'm worried about being solely responsible for even one of my children without Bump as a backup. I'm dreading five more days in this tiny town, where I spent my entire childhood plotting my escape.

15 comments:

Auntly H said...

If you need him, I'm willing to volunteer E'Yoak. He's on break. Let us know.

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah said...

I'm so sorry about your Grandmother.

You will be fine with Lula. Don't worry.

Em said...

I'm sorry for your loss, and for the whole situation. Hang in there, LHM. I'll be thinking of you.

MP said...

I'm sorry for your loss :-(
Children + Funerals though usually = break from reality..or thrustys you back to reality..

Anne said...

That's just rotten from start to finish! I'm so sorry!!

Anonymous said...

I am so, so sorry. Hope everything went ok.
xo

merseydotes said...

Sorry for your loss and all the nightmarish logistics decisions you've had to make. I hope it's all gone well with you, Bump and the kids.

kenandbelly said...

I'm sorry. What a crummy situation through and through. We'll be thinking about you and all your family-- here in DC and in SF(area).

Miguelita said...

I am so sorry for your loss. Glad you could spend some time with her before she passed.

Kemp said...

So sorry for your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

nonlineargirl said...

I am so sorry for your loss. It might not make you feel better to have Lula with you, but at least it is a distraction, probably one that will make others happy.

gail said...

I am so sorry for your loss.

Gidge Uriza said...

Sorry about your grandma but it is nice you were there. Thinking of ya!

E :) said...

I'm really sorry to hear about your Grandmother. Sorry I didn't comment earlier - the blogosphere and I have been taking a break from one another. I hope you and your family are all ok.

1A said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother.