Week 2

Last week was interesting. I like to think that I'm a fairly involved dad. Since Cleo was born, I've tried to spend time with her when I'm not working. I don't shy away from changing her and I try to step up when the screaming starts, though I often fail when I'm exhausted after work. I've looked after her when H goes to appointments for up to four hours at a time.

You have no clue, do you?

Despite this, I was not prepared for last week. Eight hours is a lot different than four. The biggest frustration is the constant question of "Is this normal?" 

She's been up for one hour and she's sleeping again! Is this normal?

She ate one hour ago and now she's hungry again! Is this normal?

She is unhappy everywhere except the swing so I had to put her back in the swing.  Again. Is that normal?

She was calm in the swing and suddenly started screeching like she's been attacked by a ferret! Is this normal?

There's also the fact that life with dad is significantly different. For example, one of the favorite things for Cleo is nap time with mom, where she breastfeeds while they are both laying down and then she just falls asleep. Kind of like an alcoholic who has broken into a pub and crashes out on the bar with his mouth on the tap.

For obvious physiological reasons, this is not something we can do. Naptime and mealtime are separate, which was met with a certain amount of confusion and skepticism last week.

Thankfully I feel we did establish some sort of rhythm last week that I'm hoping carries over into this one, although honestly I'm STILL a bit nervous about this week despite having proved that I can handle things. We'll see how things go. Today we're going on a bit of an adventure, so next week I'll update you all on our excursion to the Mommy Matinee.