How rude!

I know you thought that I had finished but this was too good to pass up.

I went to a coffee-shop this morning (as I'm still allowed to do) and Emilia was happily chewing on my car-keys fob while I queued to order a coffee.

A woman from a nearby sofa looked up and said "Should she be doing that?". I laughed and replied that it hadn't broken the fob yet then went back to choosing the type of bean I wanted.

This woman was obviously not done yet and continued "But what about the germs?" so I answered that it's all going to building her immune system and hoped that would be the end of it as - if I'm honest - her tone was starting to grate.

Unfortunately this woman wouldn't let it go and (as though she wanted to speak to a manager) said, "So where's Mum then?". I quickly said "Working" but really wanted to continue "not that it's any of your business, you nosey cow!"

Apparently I'm not able to make decisions about what my daughter can and cannot chew on.

For the record, Emma doesn't let Emilia chew on the keys only because she's worried the keys will break.

The end of one chapter...

I read an article today in the Daily Mail from a journalist who found the idea of men taking Additional Paternity Leave "a ghastly slippery slope towards men wearing fake mammary glands and pumps in order to breast-feed". 
This is my reply...


I have exactly 5 days before I go back to a full-time, fully-paid job.
'
My Additional Paternity Leave (APL) will be over.
Finished.
Done.

Where did that time go?!? I'd only just got settled into a routine!

Not sure how I feel about that... It kind of feels like I'm just getting the hang of this Dad malarky and Emilia is just starting to become a little person. Now I feel like I'm deserting her. Looking back on it there were times I thought it would never end but now it's ending, I'm quite disappointed.

As I touched on at the beginning of this blog, I initially took over Emilia's care at the 6-month mark so that Emma could go back to work and earn money for us to survive on again. (I'm a modern man so I'm not ashamed or emasculated by the fact that my wife earns considerably more than I do. I love my job and earning huge sums has never motivated me. This way I still get to enjoy some of the finer things in life!)

So it's fair to say that finances were the main reason for taking this leave, however it wasn't the only consideration. I was certainly looking forward to 6 months of looking after Emilia, playing PS3 and showing Emma that I could keep a house running efficiently.
I was anticipating a summer of bonding, with walks in the park, pub beer-gardens in the sun and lazy afternoons playing games or watching TV while she slept.
I was hoping for a deeper bond with my daughter and to start our lives together with a relationship more similar to the typical mother-daughter one than the working-father one. I was hoping to generally get to know her better right from the beginning.

I had quite a few different reactions from friends and family about what I was doing. About 50% positive and 50% thought I was nuts.
I was the first man in the history of my work to take APL - so much so that I completed the paperwork in good time and handed it to my line-manager who showed it to his boss who, because neither of them knew what to do with it, lost it.
I had an email through from HR the other day asking when I was coming back as they had 3 dates that they were expecting me (3rd December - APL end date; 6th December - APL end date plus additional requested leave; 8th January - No idea!)

I think most of my family were concerned that - because it was such a new concept - my career would somehow suffer and my chances of promotion would be lessened as I would be labelled absent or similar. I told them it wouldn't but only time will tell...

Looking back, it's fair to say I took the wrong attitude to this. I thought of it as a job. I was hoping to have defined times where I would be on duty and I could literally down-tools, flip open the laptop and be safe in the knowledge that Emma was doing baby-care at 5pm. If I'm honest, that's how it felt I was seen during the first 6 months because whenever I got home, as soon as I walked through the door, I was thrust a baby and Emma would start catching up on Facebook activity or what "news" was being reported on the Daily Mail.
It has taken me 5 months to realise that that's not the way it works. Whether you are a full-time parent, or a working one; if you're in the house, you're On Duty. There's no way you are going to win an argument of "But it's 5:01pm and I've had a tough day". Not that it hasn't crossed my mind but nobody wins that game. Both of you will feel equally justified in letting the other do the nappy-change or feed baby dinner because both of you have been doing stuff all day and both of you just want 5 minutes to relax. One of you has to do it and it should all balance out in the end.

I don't want to give away any Man-trades here but my days off (pre-baby) when Emma used to work in an office consisted of lounging about during the day, accumulating plates on the table by the sofa and not doing a lot until I would get a text from Emma saying that she was leaving the office at about 5pm. At that point I would run around like a blue-arsed fly, tidying and cleaning so that when Emma got home it looked like I'd been plodding at it all day. That way I could make the most of my days off, whilst also getting all the chores done that were needed. I know I'm not the only one!

Now that Emma works from home, that wasn't an applicable style of baby-care. Nor was it really ever an option that I would have free-range over how Emilia dressed, what we did or where we went as Emma was always watching. I could never do this for example, and still have a smug grin on my face, chillin' when she got back:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RntoTUPuWMc - for those not able to view in blog)

I did manage a couple of these though...

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWM9fcSPeV4)

So what have the last 6 months given me?

Firstly, a brilliant insight into how a little ball of eating, sleeping, crying and pooing flesh turns into a unique and amazing individual. I have been able to watch as she learns what everything feels like, tastes like and smells like.
I have got to shadow her as she explores the ever-increasing world around her. First it was toys hanging 6 inches from her nose, then it was anything in her reach while she sat on her mat, then her world exploded to everything within 1 foot of the floor as she started crawling. Now nothing is safe as she pulls herself up to standing on anything remotely stable.
I've had the pleasure of teaching her about being tickled and hanging upside down; as well as learning swimming and shapes and reading every book I could find for her. I have (almost) literally been throwing information at her every day for 6 months and I've watched her absorb it like a little sponge!
I've been there for her at night when she wakes herself up crying and needs a cuddle and in a way that has been just as enjoyable as all the fun stuff during the days. To pick up a baby who is sobbing, have her cuddle into your chest and then hear her breathing settle into a calm pattern and feel her relax into you within seconds, is a complex emotional mini-adventure.
If it wasn't for the fact it's silly o'clock in the morning and there aren't any chairs in her room, I'd stay like that all night.

I've made new friends. Mums I've "inherited" from Emma's parent-baby group; the other parents in the road we live on and I've even found a fellow-dad who has a little boy so we can sit around drinking lattes a-plenty. It's been very helpful to have friend as we can discuss what works, what doesn't work and joke about what really didn't work (apparently dropping your child off the edge of the bed is bad...but not uncommon).

I did my best to get Emilia and I out and about as much as possible. Regularly for coffee. As many baby-groups as possible and joining my colleagues for days / lunches in the pub gardens on their days off. These were always fun however it became obvious that I wasn't allowed to take photos of Emilia being held by another woman as Emma would see them and get jealous.
I didn't expect Emma's reaction to my leave. (I think the word "resentment" has been used however I'm going to give Emma a guest-spot to write a little about how it has been from her perspective next time...) I knew she would miss her but I don't think either of us realised how much. I found that if I go out for too long (4 hours or more) I start to get texts / calls asking where we are, are we ok and when are we coming home?

Even with all my distractions, I got bored. I fully admit it.
My theory is this: In the first 6 months, Emilia was absolutely dependent on Emma so she had a lot to do when she was awake. Emilia  also slept for 18 hours a day so you have time to yourself (Not suggesting it's easy as there is a lot to do but it's not dull either). 6 months old was a big changing point for her. Sleep reduces dramatically (Emilia went from 3 naps per day to 1) and until 9 months, there was a lot less interaction when she was awake. Absorbing information but not expressing very much except hunger and boredom.
From 9 months things got interesting again. She started to react to me in a much more positive manner and have much better coordination so could reach for items, pass them from hand to hand and turn them over. It meant she really explored anything you gave her and I know she remembered it because she quickly developed favourites. She has a favourite toy and keeps absent-mindedly playing with the ears because they feel soft.
A tip I learned after the 9-month point, which I wish I'd known for the 6-9 month dip, was to just simply describe everything you see. Especially good if you're driving. A running commentary about what's coming up apparently settles the boredom of short car journeys but eventually i just had to sing to her!

Now though, I'm so very glad I did it. I feel I've got a great start of a relationship with this precious little person. I've learned a lot about her: What she likes and what she doesn't like; what makes her laugh and what makes her squeal with excitement.
In a way I feel I've passed some form of initiation into the society of parents.
I also think that my relationship with Emma has developed. We are more of a team than before. There is more mutual understanding of what goes into the day and neither of us complain if the other is not up to doing an early-morning feed even if it's their turn. The other just steps up and it works.

As a last word to all fathers-to-be. Do it. Do the full 6 months or -if that's not possible- do the last 3 because you will be amazed at what you (all) will get out of it.

Bee baba bada bab...

...I'm a scatman.

Today was another first.

Today she discovered her own poo.

Emma has been attempting to introduce the potty. Not in any "You will sit there until you use it!" type way, but more of a "Look at this interesting seat. It's where we sit after a meal".

So Emilia sat for all of about a minute before deciding she was bored and went for a crawl. She was sitting on the floor, playing with bunny one minute and then playing with a brown lump the next. Somehow she had done the biggest poo on the hardwood floor and then picked it up and started poking it with a finger.
There was no straining. There were no tell-tell signs that she was going to poo at all. She was clean one minute and poking a piece of poo the next!

You'll be glad to know, I'm sure, that there are no photos of this incident as we were both too busy gently stopping her from smearing it everywhere, while at the same time, trying not to scare her and laughing uncontrollably.

So a quick, smooth wipe-up later and then rushed upstairs for an early bath!

I did find this though...

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

...it's off to work we go - if only for a weekend.

I had a lovely weekend this weekend (well, a long one anyway)!

I decided to use a couple of Keep In Touch days with work to
         a) catch up with my collegues,
         b) remind myself what I was supposed to do when I do eventually go back to work and
         c) work out what child-care arrangements will be needed the morning after working a 'late' shift

So Friday started as usual (at 0530hrs) and I did the usual thing of following Emilia around the house as she tried (and often succeeded) to open and close every draw, door and flap within reach; and press every button on every piece of electronic equipment within reach.
I stay out of her way until she's about to hurt herself (or sometimes just after she's hurt herself a little but before she hurts herself a lot) which means I'm constantly moving and constantly watching those little hands.

At lunchtime, I passed her over to Emma so I could quickly shower, change and start my commute to work.

Now I was expecting to be a little slow getting started at work. Remembering what "real" work was but I didn't realise that the electronic world would be against me! I got in to find that my computer password had expired, my PDA had forgotten who i was and needed replacing and the number 1 on my work mobile was refusing to register no matter how hard I pressed.

Luckily I had given myself a bit of extra time to get these things sorted before the shift started but it definitely started me on the wrong footing!

I had the usual "Ah, you must be the new boy"; "Hi, Sir, you seem lost. Can I help you find anything?"; "Barber closed today?" (I've let my hair grow a little and I've grown a beard as a nod to my new responsible self) but generally I fitted back in easily - to the point where at the end of the shift, it felt like I had never left.

So I got home at 2am, checked on Emilia - looking as cute as a button and snoring gently - and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

3 hours later I was woken by a grumpy Emma stomping around getting Emilia a bottle for her morning feed and Emilia deciding that she wasn't going back to sleep for love nor money (actually, I don't know if Emma tried the money thing, but I doubt she would have taken it up).

I think I must have sighed, or looked at my watch because, as-quick-as-a-flash I heard "Just 2 hours. Can you deal with her for just 2 hours. Then I'll get up. I promise". I didn't have the energy to argue so I rolled out of bed, plastered the best "Good Morning, Sweetie" smile I could muster and tried to be cheery for 2 hours.

I then slept til midday, walked the dog, quick shower and back to work.

Day 2 was as smooth as silk. Technology didn't fail me and all the things I was worried I'd forget came flooding back as though I hadn't been away for 4 months. at all.

So what have I learned from this that I can pass on to anyone thinking about doing this too?

a) the jokes don't change
b) it takes a little while but you'll be amazed how fast it comes back
c) we DEFINITELY need child-care the morning after I do a late shift!

I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it

Please don't judge me on this.

She was doing so well with her crawling but a sudden lapse in concentration and...

If you listen very closely, you'll here 2 stifled sniggers as she lands. We are bad parents...

And she's off!

It's all going to change now.

We were just starting to wonder if she was going to walk / talk / crawl first. I had a chat with one of our baby-group leaders 2 days ago about how to encourage her to crawl because she was struggling to coordinate arms and legs.

She would put one hand in front of the other as though crawling but she forgot to move her knees so would faceplant over and over again.

Because she's such an obstinate little thing, the usual "exercises", where you move their arms and legs in time to music/rhymes, wouldn't work. She simply refuses to cooperate and pulls away. The advice was to put her at the bottom of the stairs and encourage her to climb the stairs! 

I was a little reluctant to poke that lion so I gave it a couple of days. I waved her arms about and kicked her legs a little.

The very next day I took the dog for a walk and when I returned, I was greeted by a very happy emma and (I may be imagining it) a smug looking Emilia. 

Emma says "Watch this, watch this" and went to the other side of the room with Emilia's dummy in her mouth. She kneeled down and Emilia looked, grinned and crawled over to Emma, happily chattering all the way. She was so pleased with herself.

So now she can crawl and pull himself up to kneeling on stuff, she is everywhere! I've found out that the living room is not baby-proof. There are cables not-so-well hidden and she is obsessed with the sky box. She has found the on/off button and the randomly skip through channels button. The days of watching TV during the day are over, I guess. In fact I think my job has suddenly got much harder...

Who's a good little wifey then?

Today I embraced my house-wifey side and I cooked Emilia a pizza. From scratch.

I don't mean "I put the toppings on a pizza-base" - type of scratch. I mean that I combined flour, salt, sugar, water and yeast to make the dough before allowing it to rise in a warm, draught-free area before I put organic tomato sauce on top with some mild cheese and herbs and cooked it.

That kind of "from scratch". This is how it turned out (after 1 slice made a successful bid for freedom):

Home-made pizza for Emilia

It seemed to be enjoyed anyway...

I also made pizza for Emma and me which went down well (however less mess was made, so I couldn't tell you if it was as popular.