Parental Leave Week 2 Wrap Up

Week two of parental leave has come to a close. It would be an understatement to say that the week has been long and tiring. Today was possibly the most tired I have been in a very long time. Had Meghan not sent me to have a nap after the kids had a snack I am not sure if I would have lasted the day.

As the week comes to a close and the weekend offers us sometime for rejuvenation I thought I would give a run down of what I enjoyed about the week, and what I missed about it not being a 'normal' week.


Since I would like to end on a positive note, lets get the bad out of the way first.

The Things I Missed


1. Sleep: I figured I might as well get this one out of the way first. This week unlike last was exhausting. First Ariella has started waking up more at night. Gone is the setting the alarm for every three hours to make sure she wakes and eats. She now will wake herself up, and there is no guarantee she'll go right back to sleep. That being said it is not night time feedings that are throwing me off. Yes I tend to wake up, but this week I didn't stay up with the girls. I couldn't, not with the kids coming in the morning. Instead I have been getting up between 6:15 and 6:30 to get ready. Pair that up with being up every few hours in the night, and generally sleeping light since Ariella co-sleeps with us, that makes for one tired me.

2. Intellectually Stimulating Activity: This one I didn't see coming. When I am in my office I listen to talk radio. And I have been turning it on each morning but it is hard to listen to with the kids running around. What is worse is that I like to call in and participate when the topic being discussed peaks my interest. The last few days the topic has been the scandalpalooza at city hall. I wanted to call and make a point, but with the kids zipping around my heels there was no way.

3. Quiet reflection: This one I should have seen coming. I am used to spending anywhere from 1-8 hours a day reading and reflecting. My average this week has been maybe 5 minutes. Each day my thought process feels like it has become a little more cluttered. The difficult thing is in the evening when it is quiet enough to read I am too tired to do so. Trying just knocks me out.

But enough of the bad news. This week has had a lot of enjoyment too.

The Things I Have Enjoyed


1. Spending Extended Time With The Kids: The kids are a lot of fun! It is fun playing dinosaurs, or 'hiding' so they can find me, or wrestling, or whatever else we play. I haven't laughed as much as I have this week in a long time.

2. Connecting More With Meghan: I have felt closer to Meghan this week than I perhaps ever have. This is not to say that before I felt distant from her but this week has been different. We have meshed so well as a team this week, unlike we ever have before, and it has been wonderful. She has been looking out for me, I've been looking out for her, and between the two of us the house has held up, the kids have been looked after and we both have eked out what rest we can. She has even watched some TV with me that she normally wouldn't. I even caught her laughing a little at Stargate this afternoon. I am not sure how much effort it takes on her part to sit through an hour or so of a show she dislikes but it is effort I appreciate.

3. Getting To Know My New Family: Ariella being born wasn't just as simple as adding one person to an existing family, we became a new family. I have found it exciting to discover just what our new family is like. So far so good.

4. Being a New Dad Again: I won't lie, the last time I was a new dad I was in a state of controlled chaos and near meltdown for months, heck maybe for a whole year. I bucked against things changing and I was surviving from nap to nap. This time is different. I have found myself taking so much more enjoyment in everything. Also I am much more comfortable and confident in my role as Dad. Last night Meghan ran out to the store for a good solid hour and a half leaving Ariella asleep with me. For most that wouldn't be a big deal, she was feed, changed, and wasn't due to wake up for hours. But when Simeon was born there was no way I was letting Meghan get that far away from the two of us, for that long. It seems I have grown as a parent. Last night was nice.

There you have it, a run down of week two. All and all it was less stressful than last week, but more tiring. Hopefully Saturday and Sunday will give us chance to rest up for another busy week with the kids, and exciting week as a family.

Poppy, Daddy and kids having a blast before bedtime.