A funny thing has been happening to me recently. Actually, it started last May, right after my sister Nicki’s college graduation from Johns Hopkins. My whole family was in Baltimore to celebrate and we had such a great weekend there. We stayed in adjoining rooms at the beautiful Four Seasons, had delicious meals and a lot of quality time – considering I have three siblings and we are all semi-scattered, it’s always a treat to be together for extended periods of time.
Once the graduation festivities were over, Tom and I drove up to Long Beach Island for the week – a trip I am always excited about. Once we arrived, my heart started to ache and I literally couldn’t stop saying, ‘I just miss my family so much.’ It was a feeling I truly couldn’t shake, which was strange because Tom is my favorite person ever to be with, and Long Beach Island is my favorite place. I should have been blissfully happy! Not sobbing! A few weeks later, we found out that I was pregnant, which in hindsight explains the crazy rush of emotions I was feeling at the time.
But the feeling hasn’t gone away, and if anything, it has just intensified since Georgie was born. On a day to day basis, I am of course fine, but if we go to my parents house for the weekend and they aren’t there (they now spend half the year in Florida) or if we see my brother, sister-in-law and their two boys for a few days and then they leave, the rush of emotion hits me all over again. I imagine it’s still mainly hormonal – I had a baby eight months ago, and I’m still nursing – but I think it’s also partially due to the fact that now that I have a child, I am so family focused, and because my family is spread across the country (and England!), it can be tough.
So, here’s hoping that one day I will no longer be such an emotional mess (!). And in the meantime, I am very thankful to have such a wonderfully understanding and supportive husband. Oh, and a sister and cousin who I adore that live in the city too 🙂
