Daddy Day Care!

The new year saw a big change for Bubba, E and I.  E returned to work a little early and I was lucky enough to get some parental leave so Bubba was now in my hands for most of the next three weeks!  Daddy Daycare was on!

I'll admit I was nervous.  We had no idea how he would handle E not being around all day everyday and how he would respond to me.  Turns out that he barely noticed the transition.  Provided E didn't leave while he was watching everything went well.  We had fun filled days, trips out, walks when the weather cooperated and above all I got to know my little guy even better.

Having him to yourself for 9 hours a day ensures you get to know each other like you never did before and I also got have an idea of what E had been through for the past 11 months!  And yes, I openly admit that looking after JJ now is much easier than when he was so little and couldn't communicate with us.  Now he just wants down from your arms so he can practice walking and kicking things.  The only down side of that is backache!  If he wants to sit he just collapses his legs and sits (at which point you breath a huge sigh of relief because you've just got the chance to stretch for a while).  If he wants up he turns around and grabs your legs.  If he wants something he reaches for it.  If he doesn't he bats it away.  He's also much easier to get down for nap (because he's worn himself out).

The first day I had Bubba to myself he obviosuly treated it as a chance to catch up on some sleep as he slept all afternoon following a hearty lunch.  I got to thinking what was all the fuss about?  Of course that didn't happen again and I was soon exhausted from the days and would look forward to E getting home from work so I could have a break and of course stretch my back!  I also realised that you have to be very organised.  Going anywhere required planning and prepping of food/snacks ahead of time.  Showers became a luxury and I started to eat like a scavenger.  Whatever Bubba didn't eat I did.  Then I felt like I didn't need lunch.  That probably explains why three weeks later I was doing my belt up a notch tighter than before Christmas.

Work is definitely way easier than caring for a child! I take my hat off to E for what she did for JJ's first eleven months and to any Moms out there that do it without the help and support of a loving family. 

My main task (other than to just hang out and have fun with my son) was to start getting Bubba ready for day care. We began going for short visits two weeks before he was due to begin full time.  We got to know the teachers and his classmates, explored to rooms and played with the different toys.  He got used to their outdoor deck and being bundled up to go outside.  Eventually I tried leaving him there for a short while and to my amazement everything went fine.  No tears, no freak outs.  Just some babbling and wandering around.  He was obviously taken with a couple of the teachers and started to interact with hiss classmates more.  I was also glad to see he didn't steal anyone's socks or pull any hair!  I actually felt good about it all and made sure I passed on my positive experiences and feelings to E.  Of course, as that first day drew near our positivity dwindled and we second guessed what we were doing.  Should we both be working? What about part time?

The first two weeks had flown by and Bubba was in great form.  Very happy, sleeping well, great fun to play with, giving the best bugs and getting more adventurous.  Then, as we drew closer to my return to work and JJ starting day care he gradually became more and more cranky.  Was he a super-genius who had figured out that soon he would be looked after during the day by a few ladies he had only just meet and that he have to share attention with 5 other infants?  Was he missing his Mama?  Or was he not doing so well now that we had reintroduced gluten into his diet? Turns out that the increasing restlessness at night and general moodiness were not caused by any of this.  He was teething again and this time not one or two but four teeth at once.  Way to go little guy!  They came through the day before his first day at day care.  Nice timing.

Overall I loved my time as a stay-at-home Dad.  I probably over micro-managed every day and didn't relax relax as often as I should (I just LOVE getting things DONE!) but I got comfortable soon enough and learned so much about my little boy.  He is amazing.  He will do the funniest things out of the blue.  He will walk in circles for ages going from one interesting thing to the next and he can really kick!  Maybe he is MLS bound rather than the NFL?  He likes the small windows either side of our front door.  He loves chasing the cats.  He like shutting cupboards and the fridge.   He loves cars.  He like knocking down whatever I build with his blocks. But most of all he loves his Mommy and Daddy.

Bubba's first Christmas

Our little guy had a great first Christmas.  To be honest he didn't really notice any difference from normal except there was a great big tree with sparkly things on that he wasn't allowed to touch (unless Grandpa was around).  He was surrounded by family and had great fun playing and continuing to gain balance while trying to walk.  He also picked up how to use his new walking toys very quickly.  The Dino and Car see daily service in the basement although he does still like to belly bump them across the floor on occasion (along with the exercise ball). 

Miraculously he slept through us opening all our gifts and (like anyone would want) he woke up from his nap right when pancakes were ready.  He then proceeded to eat more pancakes than I did.  Guess he likes syrup as much as his Auntie... Unfortunately he ate his dinner before we did due to a slight miscalculation on the turkey doneness.  Next year we're cooking something else!  We didn't get to eat our dinner until after he was bathed and put to bed, about an hour after everyone else ate theirs! 

From breakfast and skyping with Granny and Granddad in the UK to playing euchre before bed seemed like 5 minutes but sometimes felt like 5 days.  Christmas day with a baby and family to host is BUSY!  E and I were exhausted.  Fortunately Bubba was in a great period of sleeping through the night so we got caught up a bit by Boxing Day.  That was all blown out the window (for me at least) when I went to a hockey game in Ottawa on the 27th, got to bed by 1am, up at 6am for a drive to Toronto and then a bad nights sleep in a hotel.  Quick tip, always check that your hotel windows are fully closed so any passing police cars/ambulances with their sirens on don't a) scare the crap out of you and b) wake up your baby several times a night!  Needless to say we were knackered on the drive back to K-town. 

Luckily, Bubba exceeded our expectations and was amazingly happy on the drive there and back.  Seeing so many relatives again made the trip so worth it too.  We also found out that the most interesting thing in the world for Bubba are those yellow signs they put out when the floor is wet/slippery.  He will go and investigate those ahead of anything else, even food sometimes!  He also loves the breakfast at Marche.  He demolished a good chunk of Grandma and Mommy's meals even after he'd had breakfast back at the hotel.

By the time New Years Eve rolled round were were still tired so we had a nice low key dinner with JJ's Auntie and Uncle and then E and I were tucked up in bed by 9:30pm!  I know my favourite way to see in New Year right now is fast asleep :)