Another 14 Weeks of Fatherhood
It’s been almost a year now since our second born, Hedda, saw her first daylight. Anniken has been at home,taking care of her, but in April she returns to work. Hedda won’t be starting kindergarten until early August, so it will be my job to keep her alive until then1.
Normally, April is a great time to start any kind of work leave in our slice of the northern hemisphere. Most of the snow is usually gone by now, which means that comfortable walks with Hedda in the stroller would normally be possible. But because of this year’s long, cold, and particularly snowy winter, it looks like bloody February outside. But there is a sliver of hope: It’s still two weeks until Anniken returns to work, and the temperature is occasionally tipping over on the red, and far more comfortable, side of the scale.
Do I have any grand plans? Nope. There’s no point in making any ambitious plans, since taking care of a toddler is pretty much a full-time job. So I won’t be backpacking through India this time either, damn it! I’m hoping I’ll be able to sit down and tinker with my usual mix of writing om this site, and playing computer games while Hedda’s napping during the day, but we’ll see. With a little luck, perhaps I’ll even finish my C# for Java Developers series, and reveal the reason I decided to write it in the first place. But don’t hold your breath, as you’ll most likely die by asphyxiation.
But wait, there’s more!
Not only am I taking 14+ weeks off from work soon, I’m also ending the commitment with the my current client2. It’s been interesting, but it’s time to move on. So in the beginning of August, I will start working for a new client. And that’ll be a very welcome change, to be honest.
Hopefully, the new client is a bit closer to where I live. Right now, I commute for two hours a day. It does give me time to listen to podcasts, and books, but it still feels like a total waste. I’d much rather have more control of what I use those two hours for. Like anything but commuting.
So here’s to a couple of months of preventing the kid from eating all the houseplants, then start working for a kick-ass client. As was the case when I had my parental leave with Vilde three years ago, the A Picture A Day section will most likely overflow with shots of Hedda in the stroller, Hedda eating and Hedda playing. Enjoy! Or don’t.
The observant reader has of course noticed that 14 weeks is not enough to get all the way to August, but there’s also a summer vacation wedged in there. ↩︎
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