Me: I noticed that you did not eat your almonds that I packed for your lunch yesterday. Sempi: Yes I like to look at them for lunch. Me: Huh. So do you want me to pack it again today? Sempi: Yeah. (in a matter of fact voice). 

When I was a little kid which was about three or four years ago I used to go to IKEA with Yoshi. Whenever we went I always wanted to get their $1 ice cream. Sometimes Yoshi would indulge and other times I was too much of a wuss to ask her. Today I went to Ikea with my son and my mom. After sending my mom to go sight see the various displays, we decided to hit the food court....

After a particularly rough night with the new born, Yoshi and I are sitting in the dining room eating breakfast. Vian is sleeping in the bedroom. Yoshi: Can you check on the baby? Me: Sure *Checked on him to make sure he’s still breathing* Me: He’s sleeping with the utmost satisfaction of someone who has stolen two people’s sleep. Yoshi: Haha. *tired and jittery laughter*

TL;DR: Last week of my leave ended with some epiphanies and personal growth. I still firmly believe I’d rather be a stay at home dad than a working dad. I’m glad to say that I bounced back from week 3 with great success. I finally broke through some mental barrier and felt a strange calm wash over me. I started controlling my emotions better. I still get angry when Sempi does something that I explicitly asked him not to do, but I don’t show that anger to him....

TL;DR: When life gets harder it’s because you’ve just leveled up. I certainly hope so because this week made the first week look like a walk in the park. Novelty of a new stay at home parent has worn off, reality has set in. I started the week with a lot of ambition. I thought I knew how to handle Sempi. So I voluntarily decided to level up my duties as a stay at home dad....