A Night Without Baby

For Valentine's Day our friends Will and Amanda invited us out to Chateau Morrisette, a wonderful local winery, for a wine tasting and then a Valentine's wine and chocolate pairing hosted upstairs in this great little area that seems reserved for such things. The ambiance was great and it was a fantastic night! You can read Laura's version of this great night, complete with better photos, right here!

Here is where I'm going to sound like an absolutely horrible father, but this blog is called "Father Fails," after all, so I guess it's only fair:

It was really nice to have a beautiful night out with Laura and friends and not have to worry about the baby, who was safe and warm with Grammie Pam and Grandpa Dan. They had taken our cure little bundle to their house for the night to watch her while we all enjoyed ourselves.

Aren't they awesome?

So, while the four of us got tipsy* on some really great wines, and our mouths exploded with flavor during the chocolate tasting, we didn't have to negotiate with a crying baby, or fuss with her carrier to make sure she was somewhere safe. We could have a quiet, enjoyable evening out with friends, without even a moment of concern.

Pure. Bliss.

The funniest part though is how often I looked around for her, trying to find her, worried that we had suddenly, somehow, forgotten the baby somewhere. A spike of fear would shoot through my heart as I wondered, looking about wildly, "Did I leave her in the car?!" Immediately this would be followed by me feeling like an idiot and laughing at myself.

And, I would like to point out, this flash of worry was before I had had any wine. Once the wine was flowing my brain calmed down but before that? I was looking for the baby at least once every two or three minutes.

Does that make me a good dad, or a bad one? Worried about my daughter, my first thought is whether or not I left her in the car, as though I would do something like that. My second thought, when I didn't quickly correct myself was, "Oh my lord, is she at HOME?!"

But Grammy and Grandpa kept her safe and happy. Because they are awesome!

By the end of the night, only slightly sloshed, we came home, the sleepy baby ready for bed, mom, dad and friends relaxing in the living room. It was a lovely evening out, enjoyed with friends, sans baby.

I would say I'm horrible for enjoying it so much, the feeling of being baby-free, but I think parents would agree that it doesn't happen much so I should enjoy it as often as I possibly can.

Parents? Back me up, here.


*Actually, the only two to get even a little tipsy were me and Amanda. We're lightweights. I have no reasonable explanation as to why this is true for me.