A fantastic month

All good things must come to an end. My paternity leave comes to a close, and I return to work tomorrow. It has been a fantastic month.

We drove to NS and back, spending two weeks there. My fears of how Quinn would handle the drive were happily for naught, as he proved to be an able adventurer, with the proper handling. The more leisurely pace was easier on everybody. We had some great quality visiting time with my family there. For Quinn, the stimulation of having all the family around, especially his nana and grampy every day, lead to a Great Leap Forward in development it seemed. The bonding with his grandparents really made my heart glad, as I remember my grandparents fondly and I'm sensitive to the fact that my parents had me relatively late in life and we had Quinn relatively late in my life.

When we got back, we elected to stay home instead of going camping, but I think it was valuable in establishing a daily routine. Each day contained some chores, some errands, some fun, some adventuring. I started the break with a list of goals as well as a ToDo list, but I was determined to keep the focus on being with Rebecca & Quinn and not on doing things around the house. As it worked out, I got almost everything done on my list anyway.

I've heard the first three months of a baby's life referred to as "the fourth trimester" and I now know exactly what they meant. Quinn spent all his first three months just growing. That's it, that's all, just growing. He shot up to 28" in length and 20lbs during that time. In the time since then his physical growth leveled off and he has started really developing dexterity and intelligence. From that standpoint, the time I chose to take off was perfect. I got to see him roll over for the first time and I got to see the pride in his eyes when he could do it repeatedly. I got to see him learn to recognize books and songs and rhymes. I got to see him stand (supported) for the first time and want to do it over and over again. I got to see him swim for the first time.

He has made great strides in terms of sleep, even if it's still a work in progress. He can sleep on his own now for several hours in the evening, freeing us, and especially Rebecca, to resume some normal life at a normal pace. The transition into the crib is still in the opening skirmishes but I'm optimistic. We have established a bedtime routine that seems effective and enjoyable for all. He is doing well at learning how to sleep.

Best of all, I got to become a fixture in his everyday life. I got to know the daily routine that he goes through, so that when I return to work and only see him first thing in the morning and a little bit at the end of the day, everything will now be in a bigger context for me. I got to take part in the establishment of those routines and got to see us turn a corner where it finally became apparent that this really wouldn't be 125% work for the rest of our lives.

It all seemed so well balanced which seems so difficult to maintain with work in the equation. I'm really hoping to maintain the same balance and attitude, but with 8 hours of work per day added. It won't be that easy, especially with starting a new position at work. However, it has been a valuable and productive time off, and one of the best months of my life. I will remember it fondly for the rest of my days.