Bea, a little help.

As soon as Mama goes out to the garage to workout, Bryce wakes up.

Hungry.

Beatrice and I are hanging out listening to Toddler Tunes on one of the cable music channels.

No fear -- Daddy's here.

I can do this. Mama has started pumping her milk for these moments. We wanted to get Bryce on the bottle sooner than Bea ever did. Which, in retrospect, she never really did...

Focus.

Bea's mellow yellow sucking her thumb and listening to music, so I run upstairs to get Bryce.

I bring her downstairs and she wails in my ears, I pop the bottle of breast milk in the microwave (no calls, please) and get the rubber nipple read for placement.

Bea hasn't moved. Just gently rocking to the music. Bruce Springsteen is singing "Chicken Lips And Lizard Hips".

Ping.

Bottle out, nipple on, secure baby in my arms with the boppy pillow in my lap -- it's magic time.

Bryce is drinking contentedly.

*sigh*

I smile. Give myself a confident nod with a lower-lip raise.

But wait. I'm forgetting something.

The burp rag!

Bryce is much more of an "urper" than Bea ever was. Not abnormal reflux, but definitely more milk coming up than any parent would want.

Where is it?!?

I scan the living room. There! On the couch above where Bea is laying.

"Beatrice, can you bring me the burp rag please?"

Nothing.

"Bea, please bring daddy that rag above you."

Crickets chirping.

"Please, sweetie, bring me it to me. It's right there. Look up."

Dust motes float by.

"Bea."

Bryce finishes her milk.

"A little help."

Daddy K watches Baby B (Mama A goes back to work)

Here it is, Mama's first big day back to work:

3:00 a.m. – Mama feeds Baby. Daddy stirs. We all go back to sleep.

4:00 a.m. – Cat meows and howls in between us in bed (as usual). Daddy and Mama swat cat. Baby sleeps soundly. Daddy tosses.

4:45 a.m. – Cat meows and howls again on the box below the bed she uses to climb up and down. Daddy sprays her with the water bottle.

5:00 a.m. – Daddy gives up and gets out of bed so Mama and Baby can sleep.

5:15 a.m. – Daddy fiddles and writes and does other online nonsense.

7:00 a.m. – Mama and baby wake up.

7:00 a.m. – Baby's fed and changed.

8:00 a.m. – Daddy watches Baby and eats breakfast while Mama gets ready for work.

8:30 a.m. – Baby's fed and changed again.

8:40 a.m. – Baby goes down for a nap and mama leaves for work, a little emotional but intact. Daddy smiles and kisses her. Everything's going to be fine.

9:15 a.m. – Baby wakes up from nap and all is well. Change Baby then read to her: Oh, the places you'll go, Go Dog. Go! and 10 little ladybugs. Then we watched some of Sesame Street. (I was a baby again myself – sucked in and totally focused on the letter "M" for many monsters. Sweet. The show is great.)

10:30 a.m. – Baby fusses, cries and gets hungry – the bottle attempt fails, however.

10:45 a.m. – Calm Baby down and take her upstairs to sleep in one of her swings while I shower. Change Baby.

11:00 a.m. – Baby naps.

11:15 a.m. – Cat comes downstairs and meows.

11:45 a.m. – Baby wakes, fusses, cries, gets really hungry and then magic: I gently talk with her about drinking from the bottle and how happy she'll be once she eats – wallah – Baby drinks almost entire bottle! Happy success!

12:15 p.m. – Change Baby then watch more Sesame Street with her.

12:45 p.m. – Mama comes home for lunch.

1:30 p.m. – Baby's fed and changed. Mama puts her down for a nap and goes back to work.

3:45 p.m. – Baby wakes and is changed. Daddy takes Baby out for a stroll along the water.

4:30 p.m. – Daddy changes the Baby and attempts to feed her the bottle again – and again success!

5:00 p.m. – Cat comes downstairs and meows. It's time for her dinner. Daddy feeds the cat then reads Baby I love you through and through.

5:30 p.m. – Mama comes home from work, kisses Daddy and Baby. Everybody's happy!

All is well in Daddy-ville. Goodnight.

Baby B, the bottle and the bouncing red ball

I'm a bumbling buffoon when it comes to feeding Bea from the bottle. Either I startle her too much before I can even get the nipple to her lips and she screams as though I've just given her a vaccination (did that on the 2-month mark and man did she wail), or I just don't have enough of the mommy caress finesse to get her latched (which I don't).

Mama started pumping earlier than our midwife wanted her to, but it takes time to get baby on the bottle no matter when you start. My daddy pals at DadLabs gave me some good recommendations about finding the right bottle/nipple combo, and all of Amy's baby reading and friend and family advice.

I have had some success, however, and we'll keep working hard on it since we're close to Mama going back to work. And thankfully we think we found the right nanny with lots of baby raising experience, including bottle feeding, which will make the initial transition a little easier.

I hope. Keep your fingers crossed.

We're also coming up on the big 3-month milestone and Bea is an active little bugaboo. She's hitting all her milestones so far and that makes us very happy parents! As a busy new working daddy I try to be mindful and stay in the moment with my baby, but man I get freaked out sometimes that I'm missing something, anything – real big.

Keeping up with the red bouncing ball that hits our lifetime keywords like a xylophone on speed isn't easy.

And those keywords are crucial when baby is learning language. Mama and my Caveman's Guide to Baby's First Year continue to educate this buffoon:

1. Talk to the little bugaboo about anything and everything (no cursing).

2. Tell the baby stores; read to her (that's an easy one for us).

3. Lots of music and singing (Daddy K, meet Baby Einstein).

4. Exposing her to other people and places (that's also an easy one for Mr. and Mrs. Social Butterfly).

5. Play with toys that help baby understand shapes and space (doing that more and more).

Check. Now when can I start her on drum lessons (so I can start too)?