Daddy Leave- Week #1

I have been blessed with the opportunity to take paternity leave and stay at home with the girlies to help them continue to get big and stay healthy before they go to daycare in January. To say this has been an eye-opening experience for me is an understatement. First off, to anyone who is a stay-at-home parent reading this, you have my utmost admiration and respect- dealing with young children all day is a challenge. That being said, I don't think I've ever done something where I've felt more of a sense of fulfillment at the end of the day or something where I've been able to literally see growth each day. Here are a few fun and humorous observations I've made.

Will's "Daddy Leave" Observations (Week 1):

-Daytime TV is not for me: I'm not a tv guy to begin with, and let's face it, The Price is Right with Drew Carey just isn't the same. Jeni seems to be more of a tv person than me and would tape shows like Friends and Law and Order and watch them while feeding the twins. I have tried Paris Hilton is My New BFF and I think I lasted through about 10 minutes of that dribble. I am not without my guilty pleasure, however, and did tape WWE Monday Night Raw to watch while feeding the girls (I used to be a huge wrestling fan in middle school and college), so I guess I shouldn't criticize those who enjoy the Paris Hilton show or soaps, as wrestling is probably on the same level if not worse than those (and psst, I do like The Office and Seinfeld and, as ashamed as I am to admit it, kinda like The Hills too- although Jeni hates that show).

In an effort to pass time while feeding, I decided to watch The Godfather this week with the girls. I guess that + the wrestling seem sorta manly when feeding babies in boppies. Why aren't there baseball games on or March Madness college hoops???


-Despite Your Best Intentions, Your To-Do List Piles Up:
Monday I awoke with positive ambition. Jeni and I made a "honey-do" list Sunday evening and Jeni just smiled and said, "Good luck" when we wrapped it up. "I'll show her," I thought to myself, "I am Mr. Organized at school, I can take down a to-do list with the best of 'em."

Of the items on the "To-do" list, what has actually been accomplished is the following: write thank you notes for baptism gifts, call Eric, our contractor buddy, to check out the insulation in the attic, bring up my sweaters from the basement, and wash the car. Let's just say that the list is two pages long... needless to say, not much gets done. The reality is the girls need my attention first and foremost. They are up more than they sleep (although they are sleeping about 8+ hours a night now which is AWESOME). Feeding time, story time, tummy time, playroom time (see Gracie above enjoying her time in the "Exersaucer") and settle down time take up most of the day. The simple fact of how quickly the time flies taking care of them is amazing to me. My mom, who lives a mile away, and Jeni have been very supportive of me getting out of the house a bit. An hour and a half of "Daddy time" at the gym is much needed!

Getting the Girls Out is a Challenge:
Jeni got very good at this, but I'll admit, after four days, I'm a rookie. Today I made plans to take the girls to my mom's house for lunch. They were fussy, and it took me nearly an hour to get them settled, into their warm clothes and in their car seats, ready to go. I have been told that this gets easier. Tomorrow we have shots at the pediatrician's office at 10:00, so perhaps I should start the "getting ready to go" around 8:45 if it is anything like today. Daycare in January will be a big challenge, especially since neither Jeni nor I are "morning people" and prefer to stay up later getting stuff done rather than rising and shining before the sun comes up.

The Girls Grow A Bit Each Day:
Out of everything I've witnessed over the past four days, this is by far the best part of "Daddy Leave" and the biggest blessing. Each day Hope is getting a bit better at sitting up. Gracie is enjoying the "Exersaucer" more and more as well. The little things you notice about how the girls are growing and developing make this whole experience one that I will never forget and something I will truly cherish.

Enjoy some more photos from the week!
Daddy gives Gracie a "fauxhawk" hairdo.
Hopester enjoys her "Jumparoo."
While we enjoy our time with Daddy, we all miss Mommy at home. Here Mommy and Hope play with her toy.
Grace is less than 10 pounds currently and is displaying signs of wanting to stand. She's one strong little girl!
Daddy is learning how to dress his daughters in cute, coordinating or matching outfits. It was only after our trip to Granny's house that I was informed that I put Hope's skirt on backwards!