So I’ve been a little MIA lately, because I’ve been dedicating my energy and little spare time I have when Jia is asleep, to job searching (when it’s not collapsing on the couch and indulging in DVR’d episodes of Inside Amy Schumer after intently staring at the monitor until I know Jia’s “out for the count”). I needed some time to send out resumes and schedule phone calls without the pressure of my self-made deadlines to publish my intense research posts here on Little Sproutings. 

So the News!…

So I am very excited to share with you some news that has been in the works for a couple of months – my good college friend, Kyle Davis, will be guest posting here on the blog! Kyle and I first met when we both rushed our honor fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi, back in the Spring of 2003 (I am pretty sure it’s 2003) at Purdue University. We made an instant connection – we were both goofballs with a lot of energy. It didn’t matter if he was studying psychology and I majored in dietetics, or that aside from PSP, we didn’t have a whole lot in common. After weeks of pledging into PSP, a couple philanthropic road trips as a group, and many honor fraternity-hosted events around campus, we became good buddies with an obnoxiously silly handshake and penchant for going out dancing at the Neon Cactus and singing song lyrics at the top of our lungs while gyrating in 1920’s costumes. 

Over the years, Kyle and I stayed in touch via the wonders of Facebook, but we only caught up with one another via Facebook message or e-mails when we had a major life event – our engagements, weddings, etc. Enter 2014 and we both became parents. This was a huge one. Isn’t it amazing how once you become a parent you feel an instant connection with other parents? The same can be said (if not more) for those you are already friends with; that connection is more instantaneous and even more bonded. We reconnected recently, since we’d both forgotten that we live about 45 minutes away from one another (and had been for a few years), and figured we should have our little ones meet for a playdate (what better way to reconnect, right?). His son, Gabe, turned 1 recently, so with Jia being 15 months old, the timing should be ideal. 

So Where Does Little Sproutings Come In?

Kyle and I organically (over e-mail, haha) came up with the idea for him to write about his fresh perspective on parenting. How things are different through his eyes as a Dad. How confusing it was, not having the connection to his newborn (as most dads don’t) when Gabe would cry, but noticing that his wife’s fierce bond to the baby was a force to be reckoned with. How things just really suck sometimes, because sometimes out of an entire 24 hour period, as the secondary parent you may only see your kid for maybe an hour (two, if you’re lucky). 

But now things are changing. His wife, Jenny, is a busy and talented playwright, whose work extends from writing for TV and film to actual plays that she gets to travel and promote (he admits that she is the cool one in their relationship). Impressively, Kyle is working hard in grad school at Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health and at an Internship with the National Institutes of Health, training in Genetics Counseling. His studies have finally relented a bit, which allows his wife to focus on her writing. So now his experiences introduce a new perspective: transitioning from being “Dad – the secondary parent” to “Dad – the primary parent.” (Note to Kyle: I got my MPH from UCLA in 2008 and I worked as a Summer IRTA at the NIH back in 2004… It’s no competition, just sayin’ 😛 )

#SummerofDad and the Like

Every so often, Kyle will write a diary-style blog entry about his experiences week-by-week through his #SummerofDad as Gabe’s primary parent (aside from the breastfeeding). He will also occasionally publish a Sproutings Saturday post on a topic of parental interest (soon to come is Traveling Tips for Parents of Infants/Toddlers). 

I hope you enjoy this update to Little Sproutings! I really think you’ll like it – it’s always fun to read what dads have to say about parenting, and Kyle’s style of writing is so entertaining to read!