A Date Night With Mommy

We are only six weeks away from my due date, and reality is starting to set in that our cozy little family of three is about to be rocked by a new person. Looking at Nora, I’ve started to get a little sad that we don’t have much longer with her being my ONLY baby.

While we have the opportunity, I decided I want to take her out on a few “dates”—special outings, just the two of us. I know I’ll need to make time for these one-on-one outings once the baby is here, too, but right now it’s markedly easier so I want to take advantage.

When I picked up Nora from daycare today, I asked her if she wanted to go someplace special with Mommy. I told her that we were going on a date to eat pizza—”just you and Mommy.” A small smile crossed her face and she immediately said, “No Daddy? And no Tessie, either!” And then she told me she wanted pepperoni. Easy to please! :)

We stopped home first so I could change my clothes and Michael could see Nora for a few minutes. He jokingly asked her a few times if he could come with us, and Nora kept telling him, “No, Daddy! Just me and Mommy! Mommy DATE!” I loved to see how fast she had latched onto the idea of this being a special thing for just the two of us, and how excited she was for it.

On our way out the door, I grabbed the camera so I could document our date with some photos.

Only included this one because her hair was PERFECTION today. God, I wish I had her curls!

Nora loved the pizza, and I loved the opportunity to sit across from her and talk to her about her day. We do that every night at dinner, really, but it was different when it was just us, in a special place, bonding over pizza. :)

After dinner, we took a walk nearby the pizzeria. Nora had a ball running around, finding flowers, jumping over cracks in the sidewalk, playing with her shadow, throwing stones in the water, and commenting on the people around us.

Nora eventually got a little crabby and was clearly getting tired from walking so much. We headed back to the car, which she protested a bit—she didn’t want to go home!

When we were walking, we saw some people with ice cream and of course Nora was interested in a “treat” and as we were making our way back to our car, kept asking me for a “snack.” Since we had already indulged in pizza for the evening, I told her she could have a peach when we got home. The girl loves her fruit! We’ve been spending a fortune on produce lately—so much good summer fruit right now.

During bath and bedtime routine, Nora kept leaning in to give me a thousand kisses. “One more kiss,” she kept saying. Heart-breakingly cute, and I had to wonder if she was feeling so loving because she had so much fun with her mommy. :)

We’re definitely going to have to try to fit in another date or two before the baby makes his/her arrival. And I think Nora needs to get in a couple of Daddy-Daughter dates, too!

Do you go on “dates” with your kids? What are your favorite things to do with them for special one-on-one time like this? I had trouble coming up with ideas, especially for weeknights.