Snow

Wow - where did all of this snow come from?



I got a call at work that daycare was going to close at 3:00 due to the weather. The snow started falling in Boston around 1:00. I left at 2, thinking that I'd get to the school around 2:15 when the boys were waking up from their naps. The Mass Pike was practically a parking lot already so I barely made it to the school by 3:00. That's right, an hour to go 4 miles!

Finally got the boys into their snow gear and left school at 3:30. The Mass Pike back into Boston the other way had been all backed up so I figured that maybe the Pike westbound might move a little faster after the toll booths, then I would circle around the south of Boston on 128. Now as I'm sitting here looking back, that was a really stupid decision on my part.

As soon as I got on the Pike it was gridlock. I had brought along Leo's favorite movie, which they watched twice by the time we got to 128. That's right, almost 2 hours to go 8 miles.

Then, once on 128, there were jacknifed trucks and stalled cars that we slowly weaved in and around as I put on the Lion King and pulled out snacks for the boys I had tucked away. We finally got home at 7:30 - a 4-hour drive in the falling snow! Might have been cut down to 2 hours if I'd gone the other way, but the boys were pretty good most of the way so I can't complain.

Daddy Don't Go

So, it was drop-off day yesterday at their mother's house. I was late because we were having so much fun at the morning playgroup at Susana's that I kinda lost track of time. Then I had to drive from Susana's over to their mother's house, of which there is no direct route and I'd never travelled through that part of Boston before. Needless to say, I took a wrong turn and ended up on the back roads through Malden. And wouldn't you know, while I was still trying to figure out how to get back to a main road to figure out where I was, she calls me on my cell phone asking me where I was - and telling me I was late (obviously!).

We finally made it to her house. It was pouring outside (the remnants of Hurricane Noel), and Leo decides he doesn't want to leave the car - he would rather stay with me. Daniel is excited to get out of the car because he sees his Nana's car in the driveway (my ex-mother-in-law). But even with that, Leo wouldn't budge.

So I get Daniel through the rain into the door, then go back to get Leo. He won't leave the car saying he wants to come back home with me. I'm being as positive and supportive as I can be, telling him that his Nana has come to see him and they are going to do all sorts of fun things. Leo still won't go. I finally reached in and picked him up - and carried him through the rain into the house. He wouldn't go up the stairs as he curled up on the floor of the breezeway. His mother called down to him from the second floor landing. Leo said he didn't want to see her, he just wanted to be with his daddy. She asked me to carry him up the stairs, so I did. He fought all the way and was crying. I finally got him to the door and gave him a hug. He held on to me tight and said "Daddy don't go." I told him I had to leave, it was now his time with mommy. He said he didn't want to be with mommy, he wanted to be with me. His mother tried to tell him it would be OK and he would be seeing his daddy in four days. She finally asked me to just hand him over to her which I did. Leo screamed. I told him I loved him and I would see him soon. The last words I heard him say were, again, "Daddy don't go."

Back Door

So, after work I picked the boys up from daycare and we started on our way to go to a restaurant for dinner (it being Friday night and all). The drive from Allston to Hingham is anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic, but with the boys in the car I get to drive in the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane on the Southeast Expressway.

We're just past Boston, had just gotten into the HOV lane, when the light goes on in the car and the inside bell starts dinging. What could that be I thought? I looked down at the display just above the steering wheel and it said that the left rear car door was open! Now I'm travelling at about 55 miles per hour in a long line of cars - and once you're in the HOV lane, there's nowhere to pull over. My next thought? "Oh Shit!"

Leo then asks me what is wrong (he being the one sitting in the rear seat on the left side). I asked him to please not touch the door. I looked in the side rear view mirror and saw that at least his door was still partially latched, so I hit the electronic lock button on my left driver's panel, locking all the doors. The dinging finally stopped but all the inside car lights stayed on. But there was nothing to do but keep driving.

So, we got to the end of the HOV lane about ten minutes later and I was finally able to pull over, get out of the car and close Leo's door. Once back in the driver's seat, I immediately locked all the doors. Won't make that mistake again!

Schedule

So, we started "The Schedule" today. Was this what I wanted? Not sure, but it is the eventual product of divorce.

The day started with me getting the boys up, getting them to eat some breakfast, then dressed, and into the car. The drive to Allston wasn't too bad - got to use the HOV lane on the Southeast Expressway so we passed all of the traffic that was backed up in the other lanes. The boys watched the first half of "Toy Story" on the DVD.

We got to the new daycare and I was stuck right at the start. I was never told what the security code was on the outside door to get into the building so I had to wait about five minutes until another parent showed up. Once inside, Leo showed me where his cubby was (as he had had 2 intro visits with his mother the last couple of weeks). Then I dropped him off with his new teacher and took Daniel down to his classroom. Daniel was great - I stayed for about a half hour with him (filling out paperwork that their mother was supposed to have already completed) and I just watched him go from activity to activity and get introduced to his new classmates. He was having a great time! So then I went to check on Leo - this wasn't so good. He just wanted to hold on to me - then he wanted to go to Daniel's classroom. I took him down to see Daniel, then had to carry him back to his class as he wouldn't go himself. One of the teachers finally helped me and got Leo to stop crying so he could give me a hug and I could leave. I got to the car and cried.

Finally got to work and sent an e-mail to their mother to let her know how the dropoff went. It was good that it was a very busy day at the office so I didn't have time to think much about the boys. It was also nice to be able to leave at the end of the day whenever I wanted and not be tied to a train schedule. The drive home was easy - stopped at the grocery store, then arrived home - to an empty house. And the house is very quiet without the boys here.

So, this is how it is going to be, half of every week, and every other weekend. I'll give the boys a phone call tomorrow night - let them be with their mother tonight as they adjust to her place. Then I'll see them Thursday night for dinner - then they are back with their mother for the weekend.

I guess this is going to take some getting used to.

Train

So, it was an easy commute to work this morning - gotta love the summertime. There were plenty of seats on the train so I was able to zone out with my iPod for the quick trip into Boston. Couldn't help thinking though that I only have 2 more weeks of train rides - then I'll have to drive. :-(

Its not that I mind driving, that will be fine - especially the days when I'll be taking Leo and Daniel to daycare and I can drive in the HOV lane! No, it will be the days when I have to drive by myself that I will dread. The traffic on the Southeast Expressway gets so bad sometimes where you end up just creeping along for almost half an hour just to get from the Braintree split to just past JFK. At least I'll have a parking space in the garage next to the building where I work - one of the perks of being an Associate. And I will no longer be tied to the train schedule. But I will miss the train. Some evenings, after a tough day at work, there's nothing better than simply sitting on the train instead of fighting traffic in the car. And this is all happening just when the new Greenbush commuter rail line is about to start!