This Magic Moment

The moment we dreamed about finally arrived last night.

Yesterday was our ninth wedding anniversary. The days of fancy presents and romantic getaways are over (especially since Suze Orman was on Oprah yesterday - economic depression is so depressing! At least Suze's Miamified outfits are cheery and her blindingly white teeth provide an invigorating retinal shock...), but I decided to make a special celebratory dinner.

I picked up ingredients and flowers at a small boutique I found -- Le Costco, and had appetizers laid out when SJ arrived home with the kids. The kids ate dinner and then headed upstairs to be entertained by the electronic babysitter (the TV) while we ate our grownup meal.

That's when the magic happened: my husband and I sat and talked and ate for a whole half hour without interruption. The food was delicious, the birds were literally singing through the open window, and we got to act like grownups in our own home!

I don't want to rush to judgement, but I wonder if maybe we're getting into the parenting sweet spot that we've heard so much about: a time between Pampers and pimples when offspring are occasionally self-sufficient children with whom we can peacefully coexist.

It was truly the best anniversary dinner we've ever had. It was better than before we had kids, since we really do like our children and enjoy their company, and better than the early kid years when someone was always jumping up to console a crying baby, change a diaper, or settle a fight.

Now to figure out how to bottle this feeling. I was secretly relieved when poopy pants and arguments came up at bedtime. That glimpse of bliss was delightful, but I like them little; getting there is half the fun.