Balance

The school board approved my leave, which I think was just a formality. That means I will be a stay-at-home dad from early March through the end of next summer.

Being that today was the first day of school with kids in the building, the end is on my mind at the beginning. It's going to be weird leaving my kids in order to be with my kid. And by weird I mean staggeringly normal. Considering it's possible from a practical and financial standpoint, it seems a no-brainer.

Of course, there's the matter of until then. I expect the school year will get crazier and crazier the closer Julie gets to popping out the kid. Then it'll be pure, wonderful chaos as we figure out how to be parents and I simultaneously figure out how to be a teacher/parent.

I think teaching will provide sanity. I don't change any diapers at work, and there's hardly any crying, you know? But whereas I get home now and my time is largely my own, now I will come home and have a baby shoved at me by a tired wife. And that will be delightful and horrifying, probably at the same time.

And did you know, by the way, that infant feces doesn't stink? Now parents, feel free to contradict this statement, but Julie read that the feces doesn't stink until it's time for solid food. Here she's reading reviews on diaper pails and finds "Watch out for diaper pail reviews by brand-new parents..." Kind of makes you think that with solid foods comes the introduction of waste into your baby's diet, which is disturbing and makes me think of the movie where the guy eats nothing but McDonald's for nine months, which is probably what we'll do when we don't have energy to cool, and oh my my can you tell there's a lot on my mind these days?