Mr. Daddy

Daddy is my buddy and we have so much fun together...Mommy says we are two peas in a pod!

This is me on my favorite blanket. Daddy MADE this for me when Mommy was pregnant and not feeling good. She says this blanket gave her something positive to think about at a time when she was very discouraged. I love all the colors and it is big enough for me to roll around on. I love my blanket!

Daddy took me to the beach and showed me how to hunt for shells. I didn't find any but we sure had fun together!

I was going to call this one "Mr. Mom" but every time I hear that phrase I think to myself what a dumb thing to say: dads cannot be moms, no matter how many domestic activities they choose to, or have to do. And thank goodness! I like being the mom and I like that for the rest of my life, no one will ever be able to take that title away from me.

Sean is an awesome Daddy to our family and since I have been back to work for the last month, he has been taking care of Oliver and many other things around the house. A few days ago, Sean came to me with the baby while I was on the computer and told me Oliver was ready for his nap. I looked at Oliver calm and content in his arms, but saw no outward signs that made it obvious. Five minutes later after the baby was totally asleep in his crib I told Sean how proud I was of him being able to know based on subtle cues that Oliver was ready for bed. I think it went to his head though because Sean spent the rest of the day giving me a play by play narration of Oliver's behavior. At first I was proud of how well he knows his baby but then it became annoying because I felt like, in a sense, he was telling me how to do my own job! I eventually snapped at him but quickly apologized, realizing that it is not a bad thing that he knows Oliver so well. I did tell him not to rub it in my face though, since I feel guilty enough that I am gone so much.
I have asked Sean to write a little blog about his days with Oliver but since he hasn't gotten around to it yet (it can be hard to write while watching college football), I don't think he ever will. To be honest, I don't really know what happens while I am gone for 14 hours but they are both alive and well and VERY happy to see me when I return.

On days when I work, and even when I don't, Sean and Oliver get up around 6am and snuggle in bed. It is so hard to leave when my warm bed is full of warm and happy bodies but once I am out the door it gets easier to focus on the day ahead. Sean and Oliver are two peas in a pod and they have all these little "games" that they like to play together. They usually take a walk downtown and get Starbucks and give me a call at work. Fortunately, I have a little radio thing that I wear around my neck at work that allows me to call any of my coworkers throughout the day. It can also receive incoming calls so Sean can call me anytime...even when I am in the middle of personal patient care! When that happens I usually ask him to call back in 5 minutes but it is always nice to hear his voice- and I can usually hear Oliver talking or crying in the background. When I am lucky, Sean will actually bring Oliver to the hospital. I always can tell when they have arrived because I can hear high pitched ooooing and ahhhhing coming from around the corner where all my female coworkers have gathered around to get their baby fix. For being a fussy guy, Oliver sure does well in social situations. He rarely disappoints with his big grins and giggles and he never fusses when he is there. I think he is going to be a social person as he grows up. He seems to get bored easily if we stay home all day but will be very pleasant in a group of strangers out and about. If he comes, it is the highlight of my day and the rest of the afternoon goes by much faster. I wish I could just put him in a backpack and go about my business. My patients would love it because you just cannot help but feel better when you see a happy baby smiling at you...baby therapy! Oh well, it really is a terrible idea if you think about all the germs running around in that place. Around 5 or 6 I pump for the last time and I usually call to check in at home. By now, Sean is usually getting worn out and is ready for me to be home but the thought that the day is almost over is encouraging to us both. When I call on my way home around 7:30, Oliver is usually crying and when I ask Sean if he is at the end of his rope he usually says the end of his rope was about 45 minutes ago. I drive as fast as I can down I-80 and it never ceases to amaze me just how far it actually is from the Causeway into downtown Davis. I weasel my way through all the lights and take all my shortcuts to beat the traffic and get to my home sweet home. We are all worn out but we are so happy to be three again.