The New 'Normal'

Lately, it seems like every post begins with an apology for not writing more often! The last post I wrote was exactly seven weeks ago today. I remember the day so well, because it was the day of Emily’s birth. I was so euphoric that day that I just had to post a photo and the good news right away. You see, tiredness had not yet crept in. Exhaustion was still around the corner. Collapse was several weeks away. In the meantime, whenever I even thought about blogging I began to laugh at the absurdity of that idea. Life has been such a blur. As you might imagine, having a newborn and a toddler and a 6-day-a-week job acting, singing and dancing takes a lot out of you. But I think we have now started to understand the new 'normal'.


Sleep. Hmmm, how can I put this... I really miss it. I miss being able to come home from work, maybe have a drink, relax, and finally hit the pillow knowing that eight hours later, I’ll gently wake up feeling wonderfully rested. These days, it’s a really great night when we get six hours of semi-interrupted sleep. On not-so-great nights, it’s more like four or five. After a week straight of crappy sleep you start to become some other person. Someone who bumps into things, mumbles two-word answers, and ceases to find anything funny. It’s rough a lot of the time. But somehow, we make it through.

We do, because in spite of everything, it’s unbelievably amazing.
Holding Emily as she squirms to find just the right position in my arms before falling asleep gives me an incredible feeling of joy.

And taking Sydney for a walk to the park these days is an amazing experience, listening to her say things like “Where are you, school bus?” and “Hi squirrel!” and “Oh Boy, the slide!”. These and a hundred other simple things a day give me such a sense of pride and contentment that it’s nearly impossible to describe. Crazy. And so, on we go stumbling around with smiles on our faces...


At this point I have to say that my incredible wife Christine is doing an amazing job holding it all together, managing motherhood with skill and grace. She got her great mothering instincts from her mom Ilse, just as I learned everything I know from my mom Jody. Happy Mother’s Day again to you three great ladies. There is no job more demanding than being a mother. What an undertaking. Thank you for doing such a great job, and for being such awesome grandparents.

Now, when can you come down to babysit???