Devlin and Daddy - Best Buds

My husband was fortunate enough to take 3 months of parental leave when we had our first child. I returned to work after 7 months, and Daddy took over. Wayne remembers those 3 months as some of the best ever, and he cherishes the memories of hanging out with his baby boy - feeding him, playing with him, taking him for walks, and best of all, napping with him on the sofa. I even found a file titled "Devlin's daily schedule" on the computer. My husband had documented all of Devlin's activities, on a hourly basis, including what he had eaten, and how many poopy diapers had been produced.

When Ceilidh came along, we utilized the "divide and conquer" approach. I tended to the new baby, and Daddy dealt with Devlin. Then came baby #3, and now we were out-numbered. In the beginning, Daddy dealt primarily with the older children. But when Aisling was about 7 months, Devlin and Ceilidh were enrolled in gymnastics. I would ferry the kids to the classes and Wayne would stay home with Aisling. We're fortunate that his job enables him to work from home on occasion. Aisling resisted at first, but she eventually got used to Daddy rocking her to sleep at naptimes. Often I would come home and find both of them napping together. Even now, Aisling will fall asleep for Daddy in the shortest amount of time. A blanket, Daddy's arms, a little music and she's out like a light.

Wayne has reflected that he enjoys these moments, and regrets not being able to take parental leave with Ceilidh. He doesn't have the same memories of bonding or cuddling as much with Ceilidh since he was more involved with Devlin when Ceilidh was an infant. So, he treasures these times with Aisling.

One evening at supper, Wayne was recalling his time off with Devlin.

"That was my favorite - napping on the couch with Devlin."

Devlin looked up from his meal, and asked, "What do you mean Daddy?"

So, Daddy explained, "Devlin, when you were a baby, Daddy stayed home and took care of you when Mommy went to work. And we had lots of fun."

"What did we do?"

"Well," Daddy replies, "I would feed you breakfast, and we'd watch some Baby Einstein. I'd change your dirty diapers, and you would help me vacuum. Sometimes we'd go to the store together for our walks, and every afternoon, we'd nap on the couch together."

Devlin looks at his father, points his finger to him and then himself, and says, "You and me? Daddy? We were buds?"