P.B.’s pediatrician recommended that he get lots of tummy time to strengthen his neck and back. The newborn’s head is heavy, and it takes time to build the muscles needed to hold it aloft. We started the little guy with supervised sessions several times each day. But he was slow to embrace the program. At first, he didn’t do much other than lay on his belly and gaze at his surroundings. He was like the wannabe gym rat who spends his entire workout scrolling his phone. We tried surrounding P.B. with patterned prints. But he’d either stare impassively if the objects were in his field of vision or ignore them…

This is embarrassing. The other day, I went Keystone Cops with P.B. In the space of a few minutes, our quiet morning exploded into absolute anarchy. Funny what happens when sleep deprivation meets fast-acting adhesives. It started like any other day. As anyone with a newborn can attest, night is the hardest. Regan and I tackle the nighttime hours in shifts. In the evening, I turn in while Regan feeds and coaxes P.B. towards sleep. Then Regan sleeps, and I’m on point when the baby rises.  I pride myself on owning the morning shift. My goals? Enjoy as much bonding time as possible with baby, and give Regan long stretches…