Yesterday was the eight week mark for our little bundle. By now, his vision begins to clear up and he is recognizing and distinguishing faces. So those first genuine smiles have come in and he's now smiling regularly whenever he sees his mother or father, or just about anyone who gives him the time of day. Obviously, there's little else that is more rewarding as a parent of a newborn. His sleep patterns are settling in slowly, such that he might sleep for 8 hours at a time at night. Newborns cannot typically put themselves to sleep, but he has done so a few times. Usually he just needs to see his mother's face before falling asleep and then he's out for a while.

My wife decided to take a work shift or two here and there. Nothing regular yet, really just a way for her to get out of the house and make a little extra money. She's only taking shifts during times when she knows I'm home. It gives me some time alone with the baby, but also reminds me that I don't have that safety net of Mommy close by to take him if he acts up or if I need a break.

Since that time, I've said to my wife on more than one occasion: "I admire and respect what you have to do all day while home alone with this child." Little angel though he is most of the time, it truly is a full time job caring for a child or chlidren - and we're lucky in that he sleeps for hours each night and is rarely ever inconsolable.

Even eight weeks in, I still feel good about even my own social life. All I really ever do is get together with one or two friends every week or two. Sometimes a bunch of us will get together and play a poker game, which we've still managed to do occasionally. So there really haven't been any issues of frustration such as, "I never get out of the house". If anything, I make sure I give my wife ample opportunity to head out and do what she needs to do to get a breather, but she hasn't needed to take me up on it too often.

The only concern at this point is ensuring we keep his mind engaged and developing. It's a bit early to worry about it too much, as long as he is seeing his parents and given the opportunity to observe things. But we try to make sure we go out for walks, that one of us read to him regularly, that he gets good face time with us, and that he gets "tummy time" to develop those arms and chest, so he grows up to be like Martin.