The Stockholm Syndrome

So the hubby and I just returned from our first trip "away" without Chloe, celebrating our fifth anniversary of wedded bliss. Chloe was with my parents in the "country", replete with home grown corn on the cob and what my father calls "country air".

We returned to a child glowing with over-attention, smelling like my mother's perfume and wholly unimpressed to see us. She sat in the corner, sobbing, and for the first time, would not let me hold her. She was clearly stricken wth what I have always called, the feeling, that empty autumn feeling that sets in after a vacation, or a wedding, or an amazing summer at camp.

I have since plied her with milk and her favorite veggies - but my ego is pretty bruised. Did I mention that she called my parents "mama and dada" all weekend? Apparently, the holder of the cheerios and hugs is the one who ranks highest in Chloe land.