OK there is a downside to being married to a Spanish woman and living far away from Spain. Sooner or later she wants to go home to visit her family (and quite rightly so). This year though there is a twist to this story - she's taken Noah. Her family haven't really seen him or spent any time with him so it's only fair - but I have to say I really miss them! It's been a week without wife and son, and I've got another 7 to go. Feels like an absence marathon!

So what do you do as a dad without a kid and partner (temporarily thank god) ... do all the things you used to do before you were married and had kids? Yes - and more. I found that keeping busy is a really good way to get through it. On top of that there is catching up with friends - especially the ones who don't have kids. And then there are all those unfinished jobs in the house ...

Either way I have to say it affected me more than I thought. It's not like this is the first time Raquel and I have been apart for a longer period. But now that we've got Noah there is definitely another dimension to it - I really miss him as well. Amazing how quickly you can get used to a situation. Especially considering that looking after a baby is pretty tough sometimes and there is a temptation to think that not having him around for just a short while would be great. Well - I really miss our little man and I've felt his absence from day one. Despite all the recent sleepless nights and the tiredness, having him around is just such a great energizer and lots of fun. I miss that - the randomness of it all. You never know what he comes up with next - one of the best things about kids I think.

Anyway - this is me after one week ... let's see what happens over the next few weeks.

-Stef

ps.: Would you like a song with that ... ?

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