Daddy Time

As a stay at home mom who's been with our baby 24/7 for 3 months now, I've really gotten to know him pretty darn well. I know his schedule, like if it's getting close to 1.5 hours after a daytime feeding he's gonna get fussy if not put down for a nap. I usually know by the sounds coming from his crib if he's awake and ready to get up, awake and needing help to go back to sleep, or still sound asleep and to be ignored. These are the nuances any caretaker would pick up on after being with a child day in and day out. Even so, it is a bit of an ego trip when daddy has no clue why little Kenzo is crying and asks me for help!

Alas I can't be our baby's one and only. A little boy needs his daddy! But what to do when daddy is Japanese working for a Japanese company and thus not home much? We haven't gotten it all figured out, but here are some things that I think make all of us feel a little better...

BEDTIME: I've adjusted Kenzo's bed time to be pretty late, usually about 10 or 10:30 PM. That way, daddy can have about 30-60 minutes quality time with Kenzo after he gets home from work and has dinner.

E-MAILING PHOTOS: I try to email a photo to daddy's phone whenever Kenzo is doing something especially cute or silly. Like when he's passed out in a hilarious position, when he accomplishes something new like sucking his thumb, or when he has an epic blowout soaking the entire back of his shirt! haha!!

SKYPE/PHONE: When daddy goes on a business trip, we try to talk on the phone at least once a day, and skype if our schedules will allow it. Kenzo loves to see daddy on Skype, not sure if he knows that's daddy, but he definitely is entertained and will smile. If it's just the phone, I put it on speaker phone so Kenzo can hear daddy and sometimes he'll "talk" to daddy, which is adorable!

When daddy is home at night or on the weekends, I try to get him involved in the daily tasks such as changing diapers, changing clothes, tummy time, putting him down for a nap, etc. Even though these are everyday tasks for me, I hope they can be special for him and he can feel involved and that he is part of the team! And I do my best not to tell him how to do something or chastise him for doing something "wrong"