Three Weeks in

Since I decided to start this blog a few days ago my mind has been racing about what I would write about next. Unfortunately, it wasn't until now that I have had the opportunity to sit down and actually write anything. It is currently 11:45 p.m. and I have no idea what the next minute may bring or when I will be able to finish this post. In fact this seems to be the theme of my life for the last few weeks. Frankly, I am enjoying it quite a bit.

To start this post however I would like to edit my overall goals for this blog. I will not be changing the overall goal of being able to share stories with you as well as create a chronicle that can hopefully last and be something that I will share with Clare when she is older. Hopefully, it will give you and her enjoyment in years to come. While this is the serious goal, I would like to set a fun goal. That fun goal will be to get you all to laugh as much as possible while simultaneously making my mom cry (or if I am daring my dad). I will be informing my mom of this goal and have decided it would be fun to keep track and give myself points for this. So from this point forward I will give myself one point for every time my mom cries and two points for every time my dad cries. In addition, bonus points can be earned if my mom laughs and cries simultaneously.

Now I would like to issue a challenge to the few of you that are actually reading this post. I would love to turn this whole blog into a game. So in the next few days I want to hear from you. I want other ways to earn points (and maybe give you the opportunity to earn points). Send me rules or challenges and let's have some fun with this.

This post also is serving as the inauguration of the first recurring feature on the blog: "What I Have learned as a father". Before I get to the list I want to take a moment to address the learning curve of fatherhood. While I knew that I would be learning a lot, as well as realizing that I didn't know anything at all, I had no idea what I was in for. The only way I can explain it is with an analogy. Let's put it this way if I learned academically at the pace that I have been forced to learn fatherhood I would have been a board certified astrophysicist by the end of First Grade. I have no idea what I will learn each day when I wake up and I can't believe what I had to figure out that day when I finally go to bed. It truly is amazing.

Now without further ado: The list.

What I have learned (Three Weeks In)

1. Babies are hardwired with a reflex to refuse allowing their legs to go easily into pants or sleepers.
2. The smell of baby will completely take over your nasal passages and force you to smell it no matter where you are.
3. The difference between 6-10 lb diapers and 8-14 lb diapers when your baby is 8 lbs is huge.
4. The sizes for tights for infant girls is the equivalent of tights for woman that would range between 80 lbs and 320 lbs.
5. A cup of coffee has become a really freaking hard thing to have.
6. There is actually quality programming TV on from midnight to 2 A.M.
7. You can watch a version of Law and Order straight from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M.
8. A clean diaper triggers a response in a baby to soil it immediately.
9. My fingers are delicious
10. If Clare is screaming simply rock her, shake her gently, rub her belly, let her suck on your finger, lay her on her side, rest her your chest, shush her, hum with her ear on my chest, lift her in the air, or gently blow in her face. The catch is all this must be done at the same time.

That's it for now. In the next post I will let you know how our venture out to get pictures taken at the mall went today. Final update, I was able to write this post uninterrupted. Which means that she is sleeping. This will lead to one of two outcomes: A great night of sleeping, or a night of no sleeping. I am convinced there is no in between