One of the most wholistic and endearing things I have ever been witness to is watching my dad feed Emi.
Tag: Fatherhood
-
March 1, 2026
Emi had a bad night’s sleep last night, which means that we had a bad night’s sleep, too. Recovering from that is not easy. Maintaining your own rhythm and fluidity is difficult. I couldn’t tell you where the weekend went.
-
February 18, 2026
The transition out of a swaddle and into a sleep sack is proving the most challenging by far. Initially, we weren’t wrapping her hands too tightly in the swaddle, thinking she was enjoying having access to her hands. When we found out that that was preventing her sleeping, we started tucking ‘em in real tight.
Then she started Houdini-ing her way out of the swaddle. Once she rolled during tummy time, we had to make the transition to a sleep sack.
Now, getting her to sleep is difficult. Her hands flail, her legs kick, and her head shakes. She can’t settle herself, even when her first is in her mouth, something else that’s new as of the last week. Unable to stop moving, she wakes herself up. When she wakes up, she cries. When she cries, we wake up.
We’re finding it challenging to get decent sleep. I’ve been finding it too warm at night for many covers. I still need my three pillows. Sometimes, I end up so close to the edge of the bed, because I’m wiggling to get comfortable, that I have to catch myself from falling off. All that movement is keeping me up.
-
February 7, 2026
Ran out of time to put together much of a blog post today.
Went shopping for ingredients to make juices. Surprisingly, Costco didn’t have the fruits and vegetables that I needed. Or, I just couldn’t find them.
Dinner and juicing took longer than expected.
Emi wasn’t sleeping today.
-
February 5, 2026
Emi has taken to crying like mad in the evenings. Tonight, it’s gone later into the night than usual. I say, “usual,” it only having been a week since it started. We thought we had it figured out the last couple of nights. She corrected us.
We think it has something to do with her sleep patterns. Everybody I ask ultimately ends up at colic.
As I write this, she’s working on a shit. She looks serious.
-
February 4, 2026: A Small Detail
Today’s prompt: Write about a small detail from your childhood that stayed with you.
Forget my childhood, there’s a small detail from Emi’s childhood that I want to remember: today, we “talked” to each other. She made a gentle gurgling sound, and I replied with one. We conversed through gentle gurgles. We both smiled and giggled. This went on for quite some time, long enough for me to call Hannah over to take a voice memo of the interaction.
(more…) -
Day 16 – Rhythm
Today’s prompt: What rhythm are you moving with right now – and does it feel like your own?
I feel like Elaines Benes, from Seinfeld, dancing. There’s clearly movement, predictable motions even, but it’s so terse and disjointed that it’ll never match a steady beat. I don’t seem to be getting the same pleasure out of it as she did.
(more…) -
Day 10 – Change
Today’s Prompt: What change is unfolding in your life right now, and what might it be teaching you?
Fatherhood.
Emi’s been having trouble sleeping today, so we’ve been having trouble getting any rest. More than anything, I’m really practicing my patience, not just with Emi but with others, too.
Today’s prompt comes from Letters’ Lounge.
-
Day 2 – Beginnings
Today’s prompt: What feels like a beginning in your life right now — even if it doesn’t look like one yet?
(more…) -
Day 1 – Showing Up
WordPress used to host Bloganuary, where they’d post writing prompts for the month of January. I participated in it for two or three years. It seems, however, that they’ve stopped doing that, leading me to my next idea: using Letters’ Lounge as a platform to find writing prompts and share their responses.
(more…) -
December 26, 2025
Emi has been in this world with us for a month. Unbelievable. It’s hard to recall all that has happened since the day she was born, not least because of the lack of consistent and rejuvenating sleep.
(more…)
