The B² Perspective

It's exponential.

One B is one.

Two B's are squared -- B².

There's much more depth and breadth to the love and care; it's the B² perspective.

Meaning it's only week one and it's a lot more friggin' work. I've been home all week for the baby-cation, and although everything's been going pretty well, the focal strength needed to help care for a toddler and a newborn is unprecedented in our world.

Between doing all the usual day-to-day with twice the child, interrupted sleep and an ever-increasing volume of poop and goop and --

Those of you who know what I mean, know what I mean. I don't know how all the Mamas manage. How the heck do people have a gaggle of kids?

Although there are universal reactions when it comes to how older toddler siblings assimilate their newborn rivals, every child is unique, and the subtleties can be lost on tired parents.

But the big unfavorable reactions were clear: earlier in the week Bea struggled with a) not having sole immediate access to Mama, and b) having a crying pink thing disrupting her world.

Wait, what the heck is that?!?

The other day she woke up early from nap and was not happy.

At all.

Bea thrashed and flailed and kicked and cried and screamed in her crib. I was afraid to put my hands in there, as if she were a human-powered wood chipper.

Shortly thereafter though she was calling out "Baby!" and smiling. (Maybe she still thinks that the baby is just visiting.)

We have weeks yet of Baby Bryce's system booting up, firing and rewiring, before there's any semblance of normalcy, and even after that there will be many a wakeful night for months to come.

However, the elasticity of Mama and Daddy can be pretty resilient. That's the good news.

The bad news? Do not taunt the Mama four days after giving birth. Just don't. Really. No matter how much you want to snap back at the hormonal fallout -- stop.

Ah yes, the the B² perspective kind of puts it all in perspective. I am but a semi-inflated Y chromosome afloat in a sea of estrogen...and I am full of love.

Let's see how week two treats us.