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When Mama's Away, Day 1: best laid plans

by Larissa Brown (Subscribe to Larissa Brown's posts)
May 4th 2006 8:02AM

2Comments

Filed under: Just For Dads

First off, full disclosure: though the author line says Larissa, she's not writing this.  It's her significant other, Martin. 

I'm filling in for Larissa because yesterday she left for Hawaii, where she will be pursuing a mythical nectar she calls sleep of indeterminate duration -- a state of being in which she will choose when to begin and end periods of rest. 

I don't quite understand the concept.  Perhaps it's one of those mystical trance states achieved after 10 years of meditation, like being in many places at once?  Anyway, my brain hasn't been 100% for the last 51 weeks.   Which curiously enough, is exactly the age of Binx.

I'm on my own with the boy for six days until the wife gets back.  And call me crazy, but right now I'm feeling cocky about it.
It's not like I'm totally green.  I've been taking care of the boy about 50% of the time for his entire life.  But it's always been broken up into scheduled shifts.  The challenge here will be to do 144 continuous hours of care with few or no breaks.  (Don't worry, volunteer caregivers are standing by if I get in a jam or the President urgently needs my help :) )

I'm not just making plans to survive these144 hours; I'm planning on doing extra stuff I wouldn't get to if my spouse was here.  I don't care what gender you are, taking care of a mate is work.

So as long as I'm hanging with just Binx, I've got more time, not less.  I've got schemes to do a big freelance project I've put off, send out some proposals for more jobs, do some stuff for the house, and maybe watch some highly questionable video. 

How to achieve this remarkable productivity? GEAR of course.   Me & Binx's first order of business was the purchase of an 18 square foot play yard -- a contained space big enough for Binx to crawl in.  The idea is he'll happily play in there with his collection of 100% approved safe toys while I perch nearby working with the laptop or spackle.

And SYSTEMS.  I'm completely giving up on bibs. They never prevent his clothes from getting dirty.  So what's the point? From now on, the outfit I put on him after meal N will become the bib for meal N plus 1. 

As the boy heads down into his first morning nap without Mama, the vacant hours stretch out luxuriously in front of me. I'm going to get so much done, I think.  But wait -- that's how it felt yesterday during his afternoon nap.  That was a day that (besides buying that play yard) I somehow got nothing done.  What happened to the time?

Well, we did read that book. And sing that song.  And investigate extremely important issues of human existence, such as, "is it possible to turn your tongue completely inside out?"

Perhaps after 10 years of earnest meditation and practice, Binx and I will know for sure.

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