Wife’s maternity leave ended today so she went back to her job…and we both went back to work. As the day went  on I found myself thinking back two and a half years ago. On my first day home with Sweetie I was a flurry of activity around the house. I was taking care of her and cleaning the house front to back and washing six loads of laundry and cooking up all kinds of food. I was proving I could handle the whole stay-at-home gig. And day two was completely the opposite, completely unproductive.

Today I used that experience, and those from the detour, and I paced myself. Sure, I got some cleaning done. And yes, some laundry too. Of course I took care of Cricket and her infant needs. But I spent a bunch of time playing games with Sweetie and coloring pictures. And we built a fort. Here’s the experience working: I had to move the chairs to clean under the table, and I needed to keep Sweetie off the hardwood while it dried from steam-cleaning. So we built the fort in the adjoining room and she stayed put – wasn’t that smart?!? Obviously, this two child gig is going to be a change, but I think it will be a manageable one.

Fort fun!

This is the newest adventure on the detour, and of course a whole new challenge. I’ve met plenty of other stay-at-home parents taking care of two children. Most recently I watched Momma Z as she has learned how to balance two children. Everyone I have met seems to be doing just fine. Maybe with a little less sleep than before, but overall just fine. So I am optimistic.