Verizon Should Do Hot Water Heaters

The first week of transition is behind us.  Whew.  For those of you keeping score at home:  Words - 3,993;  Diapers - 3,994.

3,993 words in my first week of solo parenting!  And I'm just talking novel here (not blogging, commenting, status updating, tweeting, texting, chatting, signing, googling, grocery listing, or Words With Friendsing).  As long as I don't compare to my previous production numbers, I can be very proud.  I did that while:

• feeding
• changing
• dressing (the bug and myself)
• cleaning (mostly the bug)
• some of the cooking
• laundry
• shaving and showering (twice!)
• chasing wifey a quarter mile down a dirt road in flip-flops, waving bags of veggies (miscommunication)
• having lunch with wifey everyday
• a few dinners at grandma's
• grocery shopping
• reading Skippyjon Jones (that crazy kitten), et al.
• scouring over dozens of stamps (don't ask... please)
• spending many quality hours with the fine Verizon tech folks
• dealing with a plumber (and the issues leading up to such a necessity)
• Some rather quick night work and not so quick weekend work
• catching up on sleep
• and gaining a few pounds

Can I get some validation?  Almost four thousand words.  This brings my new total for words in the novel to...  Are you ready for this?

52,659!!!

Hey, I'm getting there.  4K a week is not going to be fast enough to keep me happy forever.  Any suggestions out there for what to do this week to squeeze a few more words out?  (I've already planned on spending less time with Verizon and plumbers, but I do have a doctor's appointment.)

A Brand New Routine

My daughter is three months old now.  That means several things are changing.

• She sleeps longer at night.
• She tries to talk more.
• She's getting better at laughing.
• Tummy time can be fun.
• She's starting to grasp this whole hand thing.
• We get to break out a whole new wardrobe.

But, the biggest change is that wifey is going back to work.  We've worked it out so that she will work Tuesday through Saturday and I'll work Saturday through Monday and nights.  Grandma will watch the bug on Saturdays and, booyah!  No expensive childcare!  Mwahahahaha!

Oops.  That means wifey and I won't have a day off together.  And what about my writing?  All those hours of statuesque staring at a computer screen have to fit in somewhere.  I'm in the middle of writing a novel.  These things don't just write themselves (trust me on this, I've waited for it).

This blog will chronicle my newly acquired role of write-at-home dad and the struggle to keep up with word count in spite of diaper count.  I'm not the only one going through this.  Can I get some help?  Is it possible to be a responsible father, responsive husband, keep up with a job, and maintain some semblance of productivity with writing?