Becoming a Dad
My wife and I became new parents recently.
The past two weeks have been a mix of exhaustion, joy, and quiet awe.
Those first few days in the hospital and at home were chaos. Survival Mode. Sleep deprived, in a caloric deficit, purely reactive. We realized quickly that its not sustainable. If you want to thrive, you have to become a Survivalist. Master the environment.
We started to find a rhythm. The panic fades and small systems take shape.
(Feed / burp / change)
(Wake window) high-contrast image cards, eye contact, soft music (cool jazz!), talking, tummy time, tactile play.
(Sleep) full belly, clean diaper, tight swaddle.
We began to recognize the cries, the faces, the small sounds.
There’s something really grounding and beautiful about these early moments. We’re still in it, but we’re not just in survival mode anymore. And that's a win.
