SAHD - Stay at home Dad: Dec 2016

Dec 2016 – Jan 2017

Christmas and New Year Hiatus

I’m sure you’ve not really missed my dulcet tones screeching at you from your handy lap-top or mobile device, or dare I say it from your desk-top, but from the middle of December to the beginning of January 2017 I was not really “SAHD” but more of Sharing the Parenting with my dear wife Ananda. We travelled to San Diego to be with Ananda’s family for Christmas, and then when we got back two of my sisters and my brother-in-law came to visit us here in NZ. So it was only really last week that Francis and I struck out on our “solo” journey again.

So much has happened since my last blog – some happy, some very, very sad and certainly too much to try and get down in one little blog. So in no particular order…..

Like Father like Son

Quite often when I see other people with their babies I am struck about how much they look like their parents. Complete little mini-mes! However I don’t see any resemblance between Francis and I, but when asking other parents if they see themselves in their kids they almost always answer that they don’t. So it must just be some parental opaqueness that we suffer from when it comes to our own kids. Thus it is with great dismay that I must report that not just one, but TWO people have said the following……

“When Francis is crying he really looks like Graeme”. Aw man, that’s kinda bitter sweet. But do they mean he looks like “normal” me or “crying” me? Hmmmmmmm

Like Mother like Son

I kept telling Ananda not to lick her plate in front of Francis…..

"Hmm something looks yummy"

"Don't tell Mam"

"Sluurrp"

Actually, it turns out to be an effective way of getting food into him. Put tasty morsel in middle of plate (best if food is easily squishable to make it stick); hand plate to Francis; et voila!

Spoon Fed

Francis is fast on his way to adulthood judging by the things he wants to do, like driving the car or motorhome, or wanting to feed himself with adult cutlery (flatware for any 'Mericans reading). It’s also an effective way of getting him interested in food and developing new skills even if it can be a bit messy!

"You see, it's like this Dad. You just give me the yoghurt cup...."

"..and then I can happily feed myself without making any mess."

"I said without MAKING ANY MESS!"

"See, I told you so! What mess?"

The Lath House

Unbeknownst to me a rather large construction project awaited me when I got to San Diego. Ananda’s mother shade house in her back yard was termite infested and falling down. Because of some “stuff” I had to work through due to earlier sad news, (we’ll come to that either later in this blog or in the next one), I took to the demolishing and rebuilding with gutso.

I really had to work with Mother Nature to set some of the uprights, but despite being about 8 days overdue (some due to bad weather) I was under budget .