Another Lifechange ...

Five years ago on Friday, Celeste was born, kicking off a lot of changes in every aspect of our lives.

On the work front, Celeste meant Evelin cut back from full-time to half-time, part telecommute, part in the office; and I shifted around my hours so that I was able to be home two afternoons a week to cover Evelin's in-office hours. At first, I worked standard 9-hour days (with an hour for lunch), I just shifted the start time on Tuesday and Thursday to 3:30 a.m. That worked out pretty well, especially since it synchronized my hours twice a week with my colleagues in Europe. We probably didn't take full advantage of that, but it did make a few calls easier to schedule.

Eighteen months later, after Quinn was born, I adjusted my schedule again to have a more consistent wake-up time. The shifting of the alarm back and forth between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. was wearing on me. Instead, I began working three long days and two short days — at my desk by 6:00 a.m. every day, but leaving Tuesday and Thursday at noon.

Today, that all comes to an end, as well as my time as a part-time stay-at-home father.

Evelin's been approved to go back to work full-time (well, 80% time) and after a lot of looking at schedules and childcare options, we're trying a new schedule. She's the one who will now be at her desk for 6 a.m., and I will get the girls up, dressed, fed and to school.

For me it means a return to a fairly standard 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. job. (We'll see the exact in-office hours once I see what traffic is like at that time of day … it's been a long time since I've had to commute in the thick of rush hour.)

When we broke all the changes down for the girls, I was kind of hoping for them to be more upset; Celeste at first didn't seem to realize that this meant I wouldn't be around two afternoons a week the way I always have been, but she seems okay with it. Quinn just nodded through it all.

I'm a bit bummed, but this will be good, and it definitely makes it easier for Evelin especially since the school is moving its administrative offices in a fortnight or so and it would have make her schedule really, really tight on days that she had to pick them up from school.

So, again, life has changed. I can't claim to be a SAHD (albeit a part-time one) anymore, but I'll have breakfast with the girls every day, so that's a plus!

And now I need to go rouse some sleepyheads ...