Down
- It’s very hard for Jaeger and I to find a good equilibrium in caring for Calvin.
Ups
- I’m starting to get adjusted to the time change.
- Calvin did take a nap both yesterday and today though for a while I wasn’t sure he was going to.
- Finished reading An Unlikely Countess, by Jo Beverly, yesterday and The Lifecycle of Software Objects, by Ted Chiang, today. Very different books but both were good. I’m also currently listening to The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, by Wendy Mogel. I listened to it before I had Calvin but am re-listening to it now.
- I’ve been exercising consistently for several months now.
- Calvin’s birthday is this Saturday and he will be two. Jaeger’s mother (and possibly father) will be coming out. Jaeger is going to make Sushi for lunch and we’re going to having German Chocolate Cake for dessert. It’s a really strange combo but both should be good
Calvin Moment
- I got called Friday night and asked if I could play piano for Cradle Roll as a sub yesterday. I said that I could try but I wasn’t sure how Calvin would deal with it. To my surprise, it mostly worked. Calvin did spend one song wrapped around my middle as I tried to play over him. Also, for a couple of songs he was a little too enthusiastic and banged on the top keys as I was playing a couple of songs. However, I think the other parents were amused more than anything else. Every time Calvin managed to sneak in a banging session on the piano another kid would come over and try their luck. It’s very interesting trying to play music while intermittently reaching out and preventing other hands from helping.
If I could click a “Like” button for this post, I would because I particularly enjoyed the description of what happened in Cradle Roll.
If you are comfortable sharing more detail, I’m curious what you meant by “equilibrium” in the DOWN item? I’ve tried to decipher it and I’ve thought of several possible meanings.
Well, there’s a couple of things at play. I think Jaeger and I both require a lot of solitary time which just isn’t available when caring for a child. One or the other of us must be “on duty” at all times. There’s an amusing section in _Outdoor Parents, Outdoor Kids_ where Buchanan explains the concept of “Freedom Points.””The math is simple: you earn them by staying home with the kids and you spend them by recreating. Unless your better half is working, shopping (for the good of the team, not just for fun) or otherwise contributing to the family, they accumulate any time you’re stuck watching the kids solo. Watch the kids for two hours while your spouse is joy-riding, and you’ve earning the unofficial right to do the same.” The problem is this doesn’t actually work in practice. One parent may have more capacity than the other for being on duty but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some resentment as a result. Anyway, Jaeger and I have a constant balancing act going between how much “freedom” we each get versus how much on-duty time we have. Since Calvin is always changing and may be an angel one week but a holy terror the next, you can’t really do a one-to-one exchange all the time.