My New Roomie

Living with someone brings an extra special relationship with someone. You get to know someone to an astonishingly detailed level when you live with them. Think about the roommates you had in university - the ones you got along with, anyway. You knew the ins and outs of their daily routines. You knew the mood they were in at breakfast and the current cravings they were having at 10pm. You knew all of their fun stories, as well as their sad ones.

Having a new baby is really similar to this, in a way. Especially after the 5-6 month mark where their personality is starting to shine through and babies really start differentiating themselves in how they react to things and what their schedules need.

It's like I am roommates with my best friend, who I also work at the same place with, have the same group of friends and go to all the same parties. We know each other inside and out and backward. Well at least I am fully aware of him inside and out - he's a bit selfish. Archer and I are a package deal right now. Where I go, he goes. Except under specific circumstances, I am generally with him 24 hours a day.

I mean, the complete dependency of a baby means that it is more complex than this, but let's ignore the dependency part for now. I mean, I know the earliest signs of when he starts to be crabby, or tired, or hungry. I know when he likes to play, and what toys he seems to favor. This sounds really obvious, but it's at such an intuitive and intimate level, that it is hard to fully express.

Anyway, I think one of the biggest adjustments about the idea of going back to work is simply how drastically my routine will have to change. Cold turkey, I  go from this constant contact to spending 8+ hours a day away from him. That may not sound like a lot, but I think at this point it seems like forever.

When you think about when you moved out and away from the college roommate, part of you knew that you would never be that close again, but that you would always maintain an understanding of each other that only comes with living together. I know that going back to work means that Archer and I will never be in the same symbiotic relationship again. A different relationship doesn't necessarily mean that it is for the worse, but that doesn't mean the adjustment won't be hard.