single super dad

P is not one of those dads who chooses to be away from his kids.  Instead, he minimizes the time that a babysitter is here on the days I am at work, he stays with the kids instead of being at work.  This results in minimal sleep for him because he still needs to get stuff done.  He is selfless.

I want to be like him.

and I know it was a rough past few days when P says...

"The kids need their mommy, and I need to go to work, for a long time tomorrow."

I worked, three 12.5 (or what is suppose to be 12.5 but always turns into a minimum of 13.5) hour shifts in a row.

I know many would drool at the thought of being able to work full time, in a 3 day work week and wonder why I can complain about such a thing.  I can declare, without a doubt, that if bedside nurses worked anymore than a 3 day work week, well we'd have more of a shortage than there already is...just saying.

Anyway, my 3 day work week meant that Paul was "single, super dad."

Day 1 of 3 - "Single, super dad" first dropped off R at preK.  By dropping off I really mean parking the van, getting 3 small kids out of the van, juggling J in her carseat on one arm while holding the hand of a 2 year old, and dragging along the backpack that R refuses to wear - just to get R inside his PreK classroom.  Next was "single, super dad's" first ever trip to the pediatrician with two crying babies (J is a teething dinosaur, and K has what ended up being a raging double ear infection).  Next was "single dad's" first trip with two crying babies to the grocery store to pick up K's antibiotic.  After that was time to pick up R from school where the picking up process, which is identical to that of the dropping off process occurred.  To round off the perfect outing - "single super dad" ends up needing to park forever and a day away from our house because of street sweeping, and it would just be perfect timing that it would downpour during the moment when he is trying to get inside...all this just before "single, super dad" leaves for work at 10:35am.

Day 2 of 3 -I'm not really sure what happened.  Between the minimal time of wake-fullness (I leave at 6am, get home at 8:30-9pm) shared between P and I...yeah, no idea how day 2 went down.  Perhaps I'll add myself to his schedule so we can discuss.

Day 3 of 3 - J and the crying.screaming.teething, K and the painful.tearful ear infection, R bored, tired, and missing his mom.  Everyone is (mal)functioning on little to no sleep.  P sends a text saying "damn I'm tired."

But tomorrow is a "mommy day."

and mommy days, well the come just in the perfect time.

Truth be told, though...

I'm tired.

We need to create a support system for ourselves here.