Ben Sloot

Since #chuck’s birth, I discovered more hours in the day.

Most of my fellow new dads say otherwise. Saturdays and Sundays are spent putting the house back together. The baby wants to be in your arms as soon as you walk through the door. Dishes, laundry and diapers replace any gyms, drinks or shows.

So yes, the usual down time disappears with the arrival of the new kiddo.

For the last three and a half months, #Chuck wakes up for a middle of the night feed, but as her hours of sleep get longer the longer period of unbroken sleep have an unanticipated consequence.

She’s now waking up at 3:00am for 6oz of milk, and if things don’t go smoothly I’ll find myself putting her down more than an hour later. I head down to the kitchen to grab the next bottle.

Standing over the sink, I debate whether or not I’ve got enough time to get a few more minutes of worthwhile sleep without getting to deep and not getting up after shutting off my future alarm. Recently I’ve put on a pot of coffee and enjoyed the extra time in the morning.

I just clean the extra bottles from the end of the previous evening, pick up around the living room and sit in the quiet dark. Thoreau might call it reflection, but that’s too profound a word for my blank stare. Mostly I’m contemplating if I want to sit on the couch or the love seat.

Oh and by 1:00 in the afternoon I’m worthless. At 7pm, I’m nodding off. So an hour gained at 4am turns in to a couple hours lost, but hey what can ya do?

Go back to bed dummy.