Mommy and Daddy's First Night Away

In the 9 months Bereket has been with us, Jason and I have had exactly 3 dates. One of them was to an arts fundraiser in early November. My sister was there as well and convinced me to bid on a night at my favorite bed and breakfast in Lanesboro in the silent auction. The Habberstad House is where Jason and I stayed on our wedding night and we've always wanted to go back. When my bid was the winner, I turned to my sister and said, "You are a winner, too! You have just won a night with Bereket!"

The Habberstad House is so beautiful inside and out.

In December, I booked our night away for July 1st. Surely by then Mommy and Dadddy and Baby would all be ready for one night apart.

But in the weeks leading up to this special night, I became filled with anxiety.  Bereket still wakes up a few times in the night and lets out little screams until she can touch Mommy and Daddy's faces and hands to know that we didn't disappear on her.  What if she woke up and thought we had abandoned her? What if my sister was up all night trying to dry her tears and soothe her back to sleep? What if Bereket's little cousins were kept up all night with her cries? Should I call and cancel our precious reservation?

But friends reminded me how important this time with Jason was... and my sister's home was only 5 blocks away from where we would be spending the night. We could be there in just minutes if there was any kind of problem. And Bereket's cousins were so excited for her sleepover, they had been counting down to Sunday night all week long. So, we would roll the dice and see how things went!

And they started off fabulously! Bereket didn't even notice when Jason and I slipped out of my sister's house.

Cousin Isabelle sharing her doll with Bereket.

When we checked in at the Habberstad House, our hosts handed me a delicious glass of Pinot Grigio. After a few sips of that, we were shown to the beautiful Scandinavian Room. One look at the big beautiful whirlpool and my anxieties melted away.

Ahh....

Sunday nights in Lanesboro are fantastic with live music at our favorite little restaurant on the river and all the shops and art galleries are open late. We enjoyed it all! 

Local band at "Riverside on the Root"

After devouring a massive shrimp pasta dish, I was so full, I could barely move. But by the time breakfast arrived, I found myself hungry again! Our hosts severed us two incredible courses...starting with dessert!

The first course was a delicious cake with homemade ice cream! Yes, this is breakfast!

So Mommy and Daddy did great on their night away! And Baby? She also did great right up until bed time...then there was about 90 minutes of tears. My sister almost called us in for help, but Bereket finally decided to give up the fight..and drifted off to sleep.

After all the globe trekking Jason and I have done over the years, It is amazing that such a short, simple trip to my hometown is even noteworthy. But for our family, this night was a milestone.  And as great as it was, we're all happy to be back together again!