Thom's Turn

Thom started his family leave two weeks ago and the time has just flown by. His first week home, I worked from home a few hours a day, catching up on e-mails and doing some customer support. Thom was in charge of Aaron but I was around (most of the time), if needed.

The first Monday, while Aaron was still napping, I went out to the grocery store. I was only gone about an hour, but long enough for Aaron to wake up and decide he was hungry. I had left a bottle of milk with Thom that I had just pumped, so it was out at room temperature and ready to go. Apparently Aaron was pretty fussy and didn't want to take the bottle, but by the time I got home, grocery bags in hand, Thom was on the couch feeding Aaron quietly. It was a good test, and they passed with flying colors. We already knew that Thom could meet all of Aaron's other needs - it was just food that was the issue since they hadn't had a lot of practice.

By that Thursday, Thom could heat up a bag of milk and put together a bottle before Aaron was crazy hungry, so by this past Monday, I was ready to start going into the office. Of course, since I hadn't stocked the freezer with milk, the weekend before I returned to the office was when I had the first dip in my milk supply. Fortunately, over several days, I pumped just enough milk for two feedings on Monday, so Aaron wouldn't starve while I was gone, and I was able to pump enough at work for Tuesday. Fortunately, by the end of the week the milk shortage was over. Needless to say, I am starting to stock the freezer.

Thom is having a great time at home with Aaron. They are really bonding. Aaron is smiling so much these days and Thom is learning how to maximize the smile output. They have games they play on the changing table, which is oddly one of Aaron's favorite places to be.

The first Monday Thom was home, I only left the house to shop for groceries, but since Thom was taking care of Aaron most of the time, I didn't spend a lot of time with him. That evening, when Aaron was in bed, I was sitting on the couch watching TV with Thom and I realized that I missed Aaron. It was the first time in 9 weeks that I had ever missed him. I had left the house for 1-2 hours at a time without Aaron before, but had never spent enough time without him to have a chance to miss him. It was a good feeling. I needed that break.

This past week, except for Wednesday the 4th, I was out of the house most of the day. I didn't miss Aaron while I was gone, but I looked forward to seeing him at the end of the day. I'm glad Thom is able to have this time with Aaron. It gives him a chance to get to know Aaron better. It gives me a chance to go to work without worrying about Aaron. And it gives Aaron a chance to bond with his father.