Bella reminds me of me when my 2nd/last {our baby now 27y/o} started kindergarten. our other son was in 2nd grade then & I wanted another baby so bad it hurt. Having c-sections & a tubal back in the early 80's recostructive surgery was new & my husband was against more kids or adoption. So, after about 5 years i gave up on another baby. Fast forward to our empty nest in 1999. It hit me like a ton of bricks, I was miserable & went through a lot of problems associated with depression etc. I adapted & now I love my empty nest even more when my husband's out too! I'm actually starved for alone time now. AND I'm not sad at all, i'm proud of the job we've done raising our kids andseeing them grown and productive is more of the reward at the end of the era for me. Not something to make me sad. My boys & one DIL live just over an hour from us. ANd I am always telling them day visits are fine, you don't have to wait till you can make a weekend out of it. In fact I'd just as soon they come in, visit, eat & go home to roost. When our youngest got married this spring, again I faced another seperation issue. They bought a house 6 miles from her Mom and added another 15 minutes distance from our home to his. I got over that too, I've decided to follow the lead of a friend of mine as far as future grandarenting goes. Be the REAL grandma that loves play time, messes without fuss, all fun! VS the close by granny that babysits daily, becomes a near 2nd mom that has to be bossy and serious. Some women are just geared to a lifetime of motherhood, I commend them. But, I was like Dotsie and a FT SAH Mom, loved every minute of it, it was my life. Now, after serious health issues and coming out the other side fine and dandy..I'm more than ready to explore my own life as simply me most of the time with an occasional Dose of Motherhood among grown kids. I look forward to Grands, but do not want to become the handy drop point everytime my kids need a sitter. No doubt my DIL's mom will be happy to quit her job and be paid Dearly to be a 2nd mommy. But, I don't see her giving up her weekends or vacations to grandparenting. Flexibility, is key, learn to roll with life's punches..when your nest emptys a room, make something out of it! i took over our guest room as my personal private "hangout", since empty nesting left both our son's rooms available for company, in addition to a fold out in the den..who needs more company than that accomidates? LOL
Dotsie has a good poit w/ all the means of communication distance isn't such an issue any more. However living close enough to my kids to see them in an hour+ drive, if I get HUG Hungry, I call, set up a time and take the clan out for dinner or something.
FAb, be gentle with yourself, it's a drastic adjustment, sometimes it rips out your heart just to see them drive away, but the excitement you feel about visits is so Neat. You'll adapt in due time. Be patient with yourself and the family, this is new to everyone..you , hubby & the newly flown off spring.