Daddy Daycare

So yesterday I was Daddy Daycare while Kristen worked as a music teacher at a primary school. It makes for an interesting day:

> The day starts early - no not with the pitter patter of little feet, but rather the pitter patter of little fingers as I make an early start to clearing emails and organising a few tasks that won't wait...

> My son and heir rises in a very good mood. He feasts on banana and toast with jam with the ever present cry for "juice" issuing from his lips. Fortunately he still thinks water is juice so his diet remains free of sugar cravings!

> The morning ritual includes Clifford and Blue's Clues which he watches from 8.20am. I sneak on to the laptop which promptly crashes the moment I try to save my work! As Blues Clues ends Daddy working on the laptop is no longer a possibility: first he starts tracing the letters on the whiteboard I'm working from saying "wri..." Smart kid - so smart he wipes half of the info off! Then he decides its time for a break so he grabs my hand and hauls me into the play area. How can I resist?

> The play activity of choice this morning is a big blue balloon. You can throw it, kick it, bounce it off the roof. No end of options. Rhys loves balloons.

> Then its time to get dressed. I have decided this is my opening to clean the upstairs bathroom. So clothes and bedroom play are interspersed with the activities of bathroom cleaning. The plan is a great success.

> Surprisingly, he asks for a mid morning "nack". He enjoys the apple which keeps him happy until he's decided he's had enough - cue: apple pieces start hitting the floor. He is released from the high chair but only to the task of picking up the apple. This is an aversion therapy which he hates. In fact, he throws the apple in tantrum so its off to timeout in his bedroom. When I return he is in the process of putting himself to bed, so I cut him slack on the grounds of tiredness and he has an early nap (after we read a Pooh Bear book).

> The child sleeps! Time for work.

> Rhys wakes up around 1.30 - its time for lunch - yoghurt and marmite sandwiches. Rhys is often spoiled with circle, triangle and square sandwiches by his daddy, but not today, he has the downstairs bathroom in his sights! So Rhys munches happily while I clean the bathroom. He manages to smear most of his face with yoghurt, but I have learned not to give him the sandwiches till after the yoghurt otherwise he dips them into the pottle...

> Its a reasonable day outside so we go to the park via Blockbuster. Rhys does very well climbing the ladder on the slide and thinks the swings are great fun. He has such a good memory of the only other time we have been to this park and how his mama sat on the swing next to him - he points to the swing and says, "mama?" Then realising she is not there he says, "Daddeee". So I join him on the swings and he giggles like a maniac. We also practise kicking a ball which he is improving at each time. We climb a few other things and try a roundabout spinning thing together. Its fun.

> Then its home via Bunnings to get a watering can. We get home just as mama is returning from school. He's a bit surprised to see her hanging out the car window!

> Strangely Rys catches onto the watering can with virtually no prompting. Rhys often helps Daddy give the plants "juice" using the hose. So when Mama suggests he help give the plants juice, he picks up the empty watering can and starts pouring on the plants! Don't know where that came from. But as I said "smart kid".

> With Mama home Daddy Daycare does a little more work either side of cooking dinner and then heads off to a meeting. Its been a fun day!