144(ish) hours until I see my wife again. She is attending a professional conference in Vancouver then seeing some friends on the island. She has never been away from the kids this long ever… almost 5 years. We haven’t been apart this long in almost 12 years.
It’s weird how reliant you become of your spouse, partner, rock that is always there. Even if it’s for that shared smirk when you son farts at the table, saying bless you when they sneeze, hearing a swear – when you realize you forgot to flush the toilet or that perfect soft, slow hug after the kids finally go to sleep – celebrating your victory, that is quiet time.
My wife is without a doubt – the head of this household. And she does, day in and day out, a ridiculously amazing job with balancing work, finishing her PhD, the kids, maintaining the house and dealing with my work schedule and not to mention my personality… I’m no peach sometimes.
Since I basically will have limited adult contact, I’m using this as a journal log of my adventure, what can I say, I have been inspired by all the journal writing in Vampire Diaries (that’s a whole different story).
I am so excited for this week, as I have never spent this much time with my kids alone. However, I would be lying if I didn’t admit I am a touch anxious, as I have never spent this much time with my kids alone. But I’m ready and will appreciative of every moment that will play out for the next 7 days.
But as always she took great care of me, went grocery shopping, planned the meals – I just need to execute it. It’s like a live-in a fallout shelter – but it’s stocked to the ceiling with love instead of crazy.
And so it begins…
Day One – Wednesday
3:30am My wife wakes me up and says goodbye. I tell her to have a good shift and sweet dreams, clearly I was out of it …. wish I had said more. Not sure how I will do or how this will play out without her.
6:45am Harvey wakes for the day, his diaper leaks excessively, soaking all his bedding, blanket and stuffy. We have breakfast, peanut butter toast with the crust cut off – it’s the only way he eats it, obviously crust makes the toast taste different. Still waiting for the science on that still.
717am Rosie awakes, she gets dressed goes to the bathroom, but doesn’t make it. First accident in 2 years. She is soaked down to her toes on both feet from her pee, and inconsolable with tears. I sneeze and a booger dangles from my nose, she smiles. All is right again.
7:45am – 8:45am Rosie has breakfast, I make her lunch. She tells me at each step, that “mommy doesn’t do it that way”. I agree she doesn’t. But I’m not as amazing as her. We get by. PS the cat puke all over the kitchen mat and in the dining room
Quite a start to my first day of 7 solo without the help, support and guidance if the most amazing women I know.
9am-12pm Throw the laundry in. Harvey and I hit the park. It starts to drizzle, he lands face first off the slide and eats dirt. Note to future self, don’t forget to dump the sand out of his boots next time. Guess I’m sweeping when he naps. Have a snack when we get home, I’m surprised though, he ate enough sand to tie him over – watch Frozen videos for the bazillionth time.
12:00pm-2:15pm Harvey naps decently, I pull out my laptop and do some quick things for work, I know, I know – it’s my first day and I’m still working, but it’s minimal and needs to get done.
2:13pm-6:30pm Harvey wakes in a hilarious mood – playfully feisty, which I love, because when he wakes just feisty, it can be a messy day. We suit up and get Rosie from school at 3:15pm, she is also in a fantastic mood … it’s a trap!
Make quiche for the family, talk about the day, set some timelines for the rest of the night, including a double bath – cause they smell. They both do a fantastic job at supper, which is more the I can say for the cat, he puked again.
Bath time was what it needed to be, wet, loud – full of laughter and tears … and a wet daddy, despite multiple warnings that water needs to stay in the tub. But worth every drop.
6:50pm-7:34pm What I have been nervous about the most. Double Bedtime. This is where you are at the mercy of the kids every move and where the slightest action you take or comment you make, can spiral you into a whack of emotions spawning a vocal range you did not know you had, or one that you have ever heard uttered in the past 4 decades of life.
That being said, wasn’t that bad – on to stories. Harvey decided to practice his Cirque routine, while Rose was patient and seemed actually gracious to have me in her room – when Averil is here, she usually does her bedtime.
Both kids were down by 7:34pm … I sit awaiting the inevitable bomb to drop, the other shoe to fall, the cat to puke. But nothing, oh yeah – other then, a little more work to wrap up, some things from earlier today.
8pm – the morning Tall boy of Labatt 50, bag of Ketchup Doritos and a double bill of movies: Captain America Civil War (which was dry as hell for the first 20, but turned out to be my favourite one) and X-Men Apocalypse (pretty good – loved the Phoenix at the end) and no wake ups till 6am.
Marty Novak, DCL Member