Perfect Day

My parents were in town today. It's very rare that these visit go according to plan. And today was no exception. Having spoken to my mother on Tuesday, I was under the impression that she was going to arrive between 9 and 9h30am to take Mateo to the local "mom and baby" cafe for the morning and that we would join up for lunch. Perfect. This arrangement would have given me enough time to blowdry my hair, maybe shave my legs, run some errands for tonight's dinner... you know, stuff you can't really do with a toddler and a newborn. Maybe even snooze a bit to recover from yet another sleepless night.
Maman calls at 10h00am... "hello dear, we're stuck in traffic... won't be there until 11h00am... see you then!". We've been ready since 9h00am.
They arrive at 11h00am and start taking their jackets and boots off, making themselves at home. I want to scream "no no no no no" but my mouth is uttering "would you like some coffee, maybe a cookie?". It's now 11h30am. The cafe idea seems like a distant memory. Lunch gets thrown as an idea and, as usual, it takes us FOREVER to figure out where to go. We settle on the place where the staff knows me from my pre-baby years... hmmm... wow, not awkward at all. Anyways, lunch ends up being great. Both Mateo and Luca were sooooooo well behaved! I was a bit nervous, as this wasn't the typical toddler-friendly eating establishments we're use to... it certainly wasn't the local burrito house and it was the same restaurant where my waters broke. Oh no, NOT embarrassing at all.
Anyways, we ate, we had coffee, no one cried, no one ran away (my dad almost did, but we had him tied up...! )- it was lovely. When we got back home, my mom ushered me out of the house firmly stating that she was going to take care of the babies and that I should go and enjoy the sunshine.
Now, to most of you, running errands is annoying. But when you're used to having the double stroller, running errands by yourself is akin to a full body massage at a swedish spa getaway. Ok, well not exactly, but being able to flip through magazines (!!!) at my local press store was such a luxury. No screaming, no crying, no newborn wrapped against my body. Heck, I even wore my Almost Famous jacket. I felt like I'd never even had kids! Like my clothes aren't normally stained with spit up and urine.
I marched down the street, with my heart shaped baguettes and bottle of Rioja tucked under my arm, with a huge smile plastered on my face. It was the most relaxing and peaceful hour I've had in what felt like decades.
I put the key in the lock and bade farewell to my solitude.
Merci Maman!