Be Prepared!

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Life changed for me just over a year ago when my wife and I had our first child.  As dad, things were easy compared to my wife.  She spent the better part of the first ten months up with the baby every night.  I spent the first ten months confused in a fog, not sure how to help, and more often than not in the way.  Confusion started day one when hours after birth the nurse in the hospital said come change her diaper.  Umm, ok but I have never done this, my GI Joes’ clothes were painted on.

I might kind of wake up in the middle of the night but my wife handled the feedings and diapers.  My wife and all mothers are saints.  Guys can’t hold a candle to what they do.  Yes, guys, there is a reason we can’t give birth. 

The confusion has cleared and I am growing more and more into being a parent.   My wife just went on nights, so I have parent duties overnight.  This can’t be that hard, right?  How many dads out there have thought that?  Compartmentalize with a simple, nightly routine; dinner, play, bath, play, bottle, and bed by eight.  Bed for me around ten.    Repeat nightly.

Night one

Baby up at midnight, bottle, diaper and back to sleep.  Back up around 5am to start the day.  Piece of cake, the simple, nightly routine is humming along as planned.

Night two

Little one sleeps through the night.  My plan is awesome she is even sleeping all the way through the night.    

 Night three

I am up at midnight.   My daughter is out like a light.  Come on please let me fall asleep.  I remember seeing the clock around 3 am….before dozing off.  Little one up at 3:30 am for a bottle and diaper.  I planned to be up at 4:30 am.  Kind of hard with only a few hours’ sleep.  Up closer to 5:00 am, how many times did I hit snooze?   Probably late getting to the sitter.  Ooh, the dogs need to be fed and they are probably going to have to go outside before I leave.  Looking like I will be late to work too. 

Late to sitter, check.  Late to work, check.  Not sure I let both dogs back in the house?  I was so tired my eyes burned all day.  Coffee on the way to the sitters plus three Monsters did nothing.  Amazing how slow the day went, like waiting for Santa slow.   All I wanted was to go to bed. 

Life happens.  I can finally relate to my clients over the years that had kids.  I now know what you meant when you said you had kids and it was hard.  J   I will not even get into what those of you with twins do on a daily basis,  though I am thinking double sainthood for those moms. 

This has reminded me of two words every Boy Scout learns, BE PREPARED!    BE PREPARED,  two words but how powerful are they when put together?  If you are serious about losing weight, BE PREPARED.  Set a goal, a day to do your grocery shopping (there is a grocery list in “Eat by Color”), a day to cook, prep, and package your meals, and make time to exercise.  Life will never be as simple and easy as it was yesterday.  BE PREPARED, and life and weight loss will be easier.

 

This article is the courtesy of Raymond M. Binkowski former fat guy, author of “Eat by Color”, personal trainer and owner of FitWorkz. Its intent is to be shared. If sharing the previous following statement MUST be included any time this article is reproduced in part or entirety. So please feel free to share, you just might change a life!

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