Last night was a little rough for Kim and I. We’re both sleep-deprived from watching the Olympics until late at night – Kim more so than I, since I often stay up late working and her body isn’t accustomed to it. We went to bed around 1:00 am, but she stayed up reading. Ellie decided to wake up at 2:00 am. I had crashed hard, and barely remember getting up and changing her while Kim made a bottle. Kim took over, and I went back to sleep.
When Ellie woke up again at 7:00 am, the roles were reversed. Kim was barely functional, so I got up with the girl to let Kim have some more sleep. I fed her, and we played for a while, during which time I was watching for her tell-tale signs of getting sleepy. Ellie hasn’t been napping very well lately, so I was happy to keep her awake in hopes of her crashing later.
We stood on the deck and watched traffic for a while. I did some stuff in the kitchen while she played on the floor. I checked my email and such. And pretty soon, with Kim still asleep, it was time to feed Ellie again. So I loaded her into her new high chair, made some oatmeal, and we had breakfast. She hasn’t yet completely grasped the concept of solid food; often when we bring a spoonful to her mouth she’ll stick her tongue out and try to lick it into oblivion. Today though, I may have unlocked a secret. If I kept the spoon near her mouth and let her go to it, she opened up and took a bite really well. When the oatmeal was gone I switched to a bottle to top her off.
While she was playing, I shot some photos (the light coming through the kitchen window was pretty strong, so most of them are washed out). Her hair is starting to grow in finally, and the sun was hitting it just right.
Finally, even though she hadn’t rubbed her eyes at all, I decided I should try to put her down for a nap. This time, she didn’t complain at all. I wrapped her up in a swaddle, and she was asleep, no kidding, in about 20 seconds.
Great morning. I like being a dad.
You’re really a daddy (and a good partner to your spouse) on a morning like this when, sleep deprived, in charge of a baby, and your agenda all mixed up, your reaction is that you like being a dad!