our nest is empty again

Some parents can be so sentimental. I’m one of them. On the last weekend before our daughter Daniela returned to school we literally wined and dined her, as if we were never going to see her again. She spent the day with Bob at the Blackhawks convention and then we took her out for a fancy schmancy dinner on the beautiful Chicago River. 

Daniela. Leaving. Again.

It’s just not OK. 

Before jumping into goodbyes, take a look at how we spent the final weekend. 

My wish… make every minute count. Deal? Deal. This meant one last mom and daughter mani-pedi!

Can’t let Babygirl go off to school without great looking toes! And mine to remind me of this day.

We gave it our best shot and tried to squeeze the whole rest of the summer into one weekend. 

This is why. Daniela had to get back to school one month earlier than most other college bound kids because she works for the university’s football and basketball teams. As you can see here she’s majoring in Nike-issued swag!

Look closely at this picture. Can you find the clue that reveals why I was feeling extra anxious about her leaving? (Can you say crutches?)

It was only a few days after she had arthroscopic knee surgery. Barely able to walk around, she needed to head back to the university because her job was starting. As parents we shouldn’t be upset that our kid wants to be responsible and a good employee, right? So we gave her our blessing knowing she’d be able to do her physical therapy while at school.

During the final hour, one small step at a time, she walked down the stairs for her last favorite breakfast, homemade by yours truly.

Can we agree there’s no bigger pleasure for a mom than in serving even the simplest of dishes to a kid who really enjoys it?

By really simple I’m talking Feta cheese and sweet onion omelet with bacon, extra crispy the way she likes it. Moms just know these things. 

Meanwhile, back in her room Bob was doing the dad thing… the heavy lifting. Notice the sad look on his face as he picks up her bags.

Do kids even have a clue about how mom and dad feel when they leave?

Not too much luggage this time, only her clothes. School doesn’t start for another few weeks. She’ll eventually come back and get ready for a real move back on campus.

We’ll worry about all that later. This was a day for lots of hugs.

And getting used to daily life without our baby, again.

Our nest is empty again. Can’t say I like it. But we’ll be thinking about all the fun we had this summer and how we’ll see her again soon. And let’s not forget we know how absolutely happy she is. That’s magical and that’s everything!