It is my job to remind you what Christmas 2017 was like, since you likely won’t remember. For one, you were quite proud of the Peppa the Pig sneakers Nonna got for you.
Since Christmas, you have insisted on wearing them inside our home; even for your naps in your crib. As I wrap you up in your blanket before I lay you down, I have to wrap the blanket around your shoes. But this is what you want.
You also took a liking to the nursery rhyme, Ring Around the Rosie. Much of your fascination for the song and dance is that now you are beginning to repeat certain words, you like to say, “ashes, ashes” while holding hands with anyone who will sing with you; as you know that is the key phrase that allows you to immediately stumble to the ground and laugh.
Therefore, you have a habit of inserting “ashes, ashes” pretty much right after the opening line, “Ring around the rosie…”
Since coming back from Nonna and Papa’s during those 5 days for Christmas break, I have helping you play with all your new toys.
It’s not uncommon for you to suddenly smile at me, stand up, reach out for my hands, and then wait for me, as if to say, “Daddy, aren’t you going to start singing the song?”
The moment I do, you’re ready for your favorite part… ashes, ashes.
I should point out that you’re not simply just falling down in a carefully calculated, casual way.
No, instead, you act like you just slipped on a sheet of ice and then tumble and roll on your side, and lay still for a moment; as if you’re waiting for someone to say, “Oh no, Holly fell down! Holly, are you okay?”
But there you are, smiling up at your audience, so far not realizing that no one else ever takes the fall in Ring Around the Rosie as seriously as you do.
We can literally see your school from our back yard, that’s our close we are to it. Granted, we live inside of a neighborhood, which is inside another neighborhood, which is inside a neighborhood. Therefore, it actually takes longer to drive you to school than it does to walk you there.
So when weather permits, and on the days you don’t have a particular Pokemon card trade set up with a friend on the bus, I have been walking you to school.
It’s just about a 5 minute walk, as we don’t necessarily have to walk along roads or sidewalks to get there.
I enjoy walking you to school. Not only it is a fun way to spend some time together in a new way, but it also forces us both to get some fresh air and exercise in the cold winter months.
Getting to walk you to school was never an option for me before I started working from home. But now, as your sister is at her school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that gives us two times each week we are able to walk to your school.
While I definitely wouldn’t have chosen for my entire branch at work to be shut down two months ago, therefore forcing me to rely on our family saving money on daycare for you and your sister full-time, I can’t deny that there are many little advantages of not driving 45 minutes to an office every morning.
You and I get more quality time together now. I never thought I’d be able to walk my son to school. I just always assumed as a dad, that would never be one of my roles.
But fortunately, I was wrong about that. I am very grateful that I could be wrong.
I must say that after celebrating 7 Christmases with you, this has so far been the most exciting for me to see you anticipate. Yes, that’s right… I get excited to so you so excited!
The best way I could word it, is that this year, you took your visit with Santa so seriously, that you nearly treated it as a business transaction.
You knew you must depend on him seeing your wish list and that your presentation may have an affect you actually getting what you asked for. On your list, you specifically wrote on your paper:
Hatchimal
Halo sets
Pokemon
You were truly on your best behavior. I’d even go as far as to say you were the most polite, well-behaved child in that room.
And as your sister became frightened by Santa, as she doesn’t understand who he is, the way you do, you were there to help calm her down.
However, I’m sure Santa must have been a little confused as to how he’s supposed to bring you more Pokemon cards, when you already seem to have them all! Oh well, we will just have to let him sort that one out.
As we were leaving, I discreetly asked you, “Jack, was that the real Santa?”
You immediately replied, “Yes. You could tell because his beard was attached to his face and he had long hair.”
To you, there was no question about it. Not only was that the real Santa, but you definitely believe in him. Similarly, you still have just as much imagination and faith to hope that Pokemon characters are real, too.
So I know this is going to be one of your favorite Christmases. It’s so much fun when you have so much to believe in… and so many Pokemon cards to expect underneath the tree!
Last Saturday afternoon our family went to go visit Santa. You were so excited as we got ready to leave the house. You didn’t get understand what was happening, you just knew it was going to be exciting.
When we first arrived, you and your brother wrote down your wish list to give to Santa. Mommy helped you out, as she and both know you really love dolls, owls, and books.
When Santa showed up, I may have suggested it was Papa, so that you weren’t afraid of such a colorful and boisterous stranger walking through the door.
However, when it was time for you sit in Santa’s lap and talk about what was on your wish list, you become aware that this indeed was not Papa!
You tried to escape, but I had to snap a few pictures first, so we could always remember this visit. When you brother walked up, you calmed down, but only from terrified to highly skeptical.
I must say, this all went much better than I anticipated for you. I completely understand your reluctance to just suddenly be cool with some larger-than-life character who isn’t part of your immediate family.
In fact, it’s a good thing you were so skeptical.
As you get older, you’ll find Santa to be a more intriguing and magical kind of guy. I’m sure in just a few years, you will be very eager to visit Santa and tell him all about what’s on your list.
If nothing else, you were there alongside your brother as he truly was fascinated by Santa. It was almost more like our family participating in this event for him, and the rest of us were just along for the adventure.
One day though, I’m sure you’ll be as excited as he was about visiting Santa.
Just binge-watching Netflix all day and letting my daughter enjoy “independent play” with her toys at my feet while I scroll through Facebook on my phone and scarf down whatever the vegan equivalent of Totino’s Pizza Rolls is?
Yeah, that’s totally not what I do all day…
Here’s my reality:
6:07 AM – 6:58 AM
Get woken up by both kids after having likely gotten up in the middle of the night to help my daughter back to sleep who is currently teething. Feed and dress both children, while uploading a new video to one of my 3 current YouTube channels.
7:28
Engage both kids in playing with their toys and/or each other while I unload the dishwasher, or quickly take a shower, or even attempt to feed myself.
8:20
Walk my son across the street to where his school bus picks him up, while holding my daughter who is wrapped up in a blanket.
8:21 – 9:15
Practice Johnny Cash songs for one of my upcoming YouTube channels while my daughter plays with her toys.
9:16
Get interrupted when my daughter walks up to me, places her tiny hand on the neck of my guitar, and says, “No.”
9:17
Spend the next 20 minutes getting her to sleep for her morning nap. Shoot new YouTube videos the entire time she’s asleep.
10:40
Take her back downstairs, start uploading another video to another one of my YouTube channels, and play with my daughter.
11:15
Feed my daughter yogurt and oatmeal, which makes a disastrous mess that I have to clean up. Try to eat Ramen noodles while feeding her.
12:03 PM
While uploading another new video, possibly take her out for a ride to go run a tedious errand like picking up bananas from Publix. Let her ride in the kiddie cart which allows her to believe she’s actually steering.
1:07
Arrive home and feed my daughter again. Attempt to give her another nap. If successful, begin shooting more YouTube videos, or write a blog post like the one you’re reading now.
3:00
Answer the phone as my wife calls to check in, while barely keeping my daughter from curiously pressing the “end” button on my phone the whole time.
3:23
Upload a new video while rolling around on the carpet, gently wrestling with my daughter.
4:08
Go outside to meet my son, who just arrived home from school from his bus.
4:09 – 4:23
Force my son to eat something before his blood sugar level causes him to “misbehave.” Feed my daughter again, while I’m at it.
4:24
Welcome my wife home from work, help her prepare dinner or take the kids upstairs to play while she takes care of dinner.
5:17
Attempt to make it through dinner, while serving as referee for the kids who are never interested in eating food during dinner, while I desperately am.
5:43
Entertain the kids while my wife cleans up from dinner, or vice-versa.
6:41
Head upstairs with both kids and tag-team getting them both ready for bed.
8:17
Now that the kids are both asleep, spend quality time with my wife.
9:15
After my wife has fallen asleep, lead her downstairs to get ready for bed. Upload a longer YouTube video that will upload during the night.
10:37
Fall asleep, assuming I’ll be woken up by my daughter in a few hours.
That’s my day.
Now granted, on Tuesdays and Thursdays my daughter is at preschool from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, but on those days, all I do all day long is make YouTube videos, upload them, and write blog posts.
It’s actually less work when my daughter is with me all day.
I’m not simply staying at home with being a dad. I’m constantly working on my side hustles when I’m not taking care of my daughter.
I can honestly say I didn’t have to work this hard when I still worked full-time in an office.
Yet still, I prefer to do this.
I would choose this even if it were a choice, which it wasn’t.
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