Monday, July 15, 2024 —Today marks my first day taking care of baby Zi alone. Although I have done a few trials during the period of my market runs, I’m still a bit unsure about how I will manage the entire day with a six-month-old and a three-year-old by myself. I am, however, ready for what may come. As I’m driving back home after dropping my wife off at the train station, I realise it’s going to be a pretty busy day, but I hope I can find some time for myself amidst the responsibilities. Perhaps using a baby carrier will help me manage things more efficiently.
Once I arrive home, the first task is to change the baby’s nappy. After that, we need to get ready quickly and start our day. I’m glad I already sorted out the cleaning tasks in the house. I’m curious to find out how the day will unfold as I take on the role of both a father and a caregiver.
Upon arriving home, I ran a bath for the baby and showered my elder son. I then prepared breakfast for them. Just after feeding the younger one, he wanted to sleep immediately, which you wouldn’t believe. I said I could teach him to walk, and my wife had been trying; she’s been trying, so I got a strap for the front carrier. That way, I could have a sleep and get something done. Well, that was the strategy we had to keep up, and after standing for a while, I was tired. He was still sleeping, so I had to bring him to bed. I got a picture of me and him there.
So, um, yeah, and then boom, he started crying again after I’d just woken up. Oh really, the process, the chained process of caring for a baby, oh my God. So I had to dance around with him again. I was so tired and frustrated that I couldn’t continue. He doesn’t even want me to use the laptop, and whenever he sees me with it, he wants to press something. It was really, really challenging because he wanted me to just carry him. He didn’t want to sit down or play with the toy. He didn’t want to do anything, but his single desire was for me to carry him to myself which made it impossible to progress on any typing tasks. At this point, I feel for my wife; since this is what she has been dealing with.
Honestly, this switch is a massive one. What I would say from today is that parenting seems like a full-time job. One thing for men to note is that if a wife isn’t getting much done while caring for the baby, ‘e get reason o’ — there’s a reason why. The reason is simply that they are doing a serious full-time baby care duty. I deeply appreciate what she has been doing.
We got to take some photos to freeze the moment for the record. Towards the afternoon, I had to deploy another strategy: we’ll go downstairs. I made lunch, and after we had lunch, I put a duvet on the floor, put him on the floor, and let him sit on the duvet so he could sort of play around. But this little one didn’t want me to leave him. He only wanted me to carry him, and when I carried him, he kept quiet. When I put him down, he started crying. Now I think he’s been clinging, and I wasn’t appreciating that. In fact, at different times, he pulled my beard just because he wanted to stand up. My beard is over-pulled now. I think he likes it, but his grabs and pulls are strong – he has managed to pull out 4 strands of 2-3-inches beard hairs: quite painful.
Well, the main thing is, it’s not easy. I have to keep doing this every day, every day of the week. Oh my god, lord help me! Lord, help me!
I think I’m learning patience, perseverance, and getting to appreciate my wife better and from a fresher perspective. I’m also bonding with the baby as much as I’m not very happy with the way I’m working. So I just did soft work. At one point, I had to stick headphones into my ears to focus, read through the document, and get it ready to send out. Well, that was pretty much the moment until I got a call from my wife. Well, there were different times I got a call from my wife when she was on break to know how we were doing. I told her we were doing fine, but you see, after a while, my baby realised how long mummy has been away – no direct-from-the-source breast milk. He just burst into tears and continued with that cry, and I was like “wow, young man, you’ve a lot to learn. We’ve been explaining to baby, but I think he wasn’t catching the gist.
After a couple of moments, another call came through – it’s my wife! Yay! She’s done and will be on her way. You need to see the strength and jubilation from inside. I was so happy relief is on the way. I was so happy that she’s coming home. But we still have about an hour plus to wait. At least just the update was atmosphere shifting.
Another point to note was that when she got to the train station. Before driving to and fro, the baby slept off. We got a bit more time to get some things done and the moment he woke up to the sight of the parent with the milk-dispensing twin towers, he became very excited and kicked his legs like he could ride a bicycle. Hence, my temporary freedom. Congratulations for successfully surviving day one. It is not easy. No, caring is a full-time job. Husbands, help your wives. Wives, you guys are doing a lot. I am grateful.
My darling wife suggested if I wanted to have some time to work for like two hours, I was no. I’m neither writing nor reading anything. All I wanted to do now is rest and relax with my wife.
Here are a few lessons from my experience today:
1. Parenting is a Full-Time Job: The blog highlights the constant demands of caring for children, showing that parents often struggle to accomplish other tasks because their primary focus is on their children’s needs.
2. Patience and Perseverance: The author learns the importance of patience and perseverance through various challenges, such as frequent crying and the toddler’s need for attention, which are crucial traits for effective parenting.
3. Appreciation for Spousal Efforts: By managing the children alone, the author gains a deeper appreciation for their spouse’s daily efforts, underscoring the importance of mutual support and understanding in a partnership.
So guys, cheers, and till you come here again, keep reflecting on every day because every day is different.
I hope you learn something from today. I hope you find some time to read more as I go through my week. So apparently, this is going to be one of the busiest, toughest, and most taxing weeks. So guys, cheers, and I’ll see you again. Yeah, keep reflecting on days. Till my next blog. Cheers.
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