Animals do it too

So last Friday marked my last day as a SAHD (Stay At Home Dad). 15 days solo with Livi. Overall it's been a good run but a wild ride indeed - a bit like a roller coaster full of ups and downs, excitement and fear, and of course... spit ups. And also similar to a roller coaster, you start by saying, "Hey, that looks like fun! Let's try it!" So you and your friends get on and you quickly realize that it was a big mistake, especially after you ate that funnel cake and corn dog, but it's too late now to get off, you're in it full on. And you pretend like you're having a good time because you don't want your friends to think you're a wuss, but inside you're terrified, counting the seconds until it's over. One hair-raising turn after another and you think to yourself, "People actually enjoy this?" But you persist and persevere because you simply have no other choice, until finally this journey through hell comes to a screeching stop. Your heart is in your throat and your lunch is still in your stomach, thankfully. You want to kiss terra firma, but the world is spinning and you're afraid if you bend over your lunch will also be on terra firma. Your friends say, "That was awesome! Let's do it again!" and you say, "Uh... I'll meet up with you guys after" and they race off to get back in line and you race off to find nearest restroom. Wait... what was I talking about again? Oh right, the roller coaster-SAHD analogy. Got a little carried away there, but you can see the similarities. In the end I survived and so did Livi. 

But us men aren't the only ones who stay at home to care for little ones. Animals do it too. There are some of our brethren in the animal kingdom that take on this role, and in much greater capacity, making my SAHD stint look like child's play (well, actually there was a lot of that going on with Livi and I). Here's a few examples (courtesy of NOVA):

"Male parenting is virtually unknown in insects, but one striking exception is the giant water bug. The male becomes a virtual beast of burden, beginning with the mating process, when the female latches onto him until she is ready to lay her eggs. She will cement as many as 150 eggs onto his back and then depart. The male will carry this load for the next month, aerating his cargo by performing elaborate deep knee bends and warding off parasites by sunning himself at the water's edge. After three weeks, the eggs will have tripled in size and the male will stop eating altogether, so as to avoid accidentally eating his new offspring."

"Elaborate deep knee bends" = yoga for dads

"The male emperor penguin is entirely responsible for incubating his mate's precious egg over the long Antarctic winter. He does this inland, while the female returns to the sea to feed. His success depends entirely on his fat stores; if a male gets too thin, he will abandon his egg and try to get back to the ocean. Big fat males are consequently creatures of great worth and females have been observed fighting over them. Once the egg hatches, the male produces milk from gland in his esophagus to feed his chick."

So sitting on the couch and drinking beer actually HELPS male penguins!

"Spotted sandpipers are one of a few species of birds that are sex-role reversed; females are aggressive and play the more active role in courtship, while males provides most or all of the care for the young. Studies of the birds' hormones have shown that males have higher levels of prolactin than females—particularly after a clutch of eggs has been laid. Males will sit on the eggs for a 21-day incubation period and then tend the fledglings for another 21 days. Females may offer some assistance if the clutch is her last of the season, but she will be quick to shirk her duties if an opportunity arises to take another mate." 

Female sandpipers = love 'em and leave 'em

So it turns out I'm just another animal trying to raise, nurture, and protect its child. I wonder if these other animal dads freak out though when mommy leaves (or is that just a human trait. Or maybe it's just me.)

One discovery I made that really helped Livi mellow out was music. Turns out that it really does "calm the savage beast" (or baby in this case). When Livi was having a bit of a melt down I'd break out my guitar and the soothing sounds of my ole' 6-string mellowed her out. One day my friend Jonas came over and we put on an impromptu concert for her, taking some classics and changing the words a bit. Here's a few of our greatest hits (perhaps you'll recognize the tunes). Feel free to sing along: 

- From the Police: "Every pee you take, ever poo you make I'll be washing you." 

- From Jimmy Buffet: "Wasting away again in Daddy-daughter-ville. Looking for that last bottle of milk. Some people claim that there's a baby to blame, but I know... it's my own damn fault."

- And one of my favs from the great Bob Marley: "No mommy no cry." (With this one the last line became my mantra for the weeks: "Everything is going to be alright." I kept on singing this to myself over and over again....)

- Livi also seemed to like Paul Simon's "Mother And Child Reunion" for some reason - that was her fav.

Here's some more greatest hits from the past few weeks...

Out for a latte with Livi (don't worry, she had decaf)

Walks by Bay

 

Enjoying her new chair

On her belly (her newest move)

 Peek-A-Boo (this was edited down from the 8hr original version)

So tomorrow it's back to my other job. As much as I struggled through it, I'll miss riding on the roller coaster with Livi. I was just getting used to it, but I'm sure there's more adventures ahead for us. And I'm also sure she'll enjoy being back with mom for a while.