Johnny Hall's Travels and Travails

Emily is 10 days old already - time flies by when you're a dad. Except at 2 in the morning when you desperately need to sleep. We're coping pretty well so far, I like to think. Of course, my job seems to be a lot more limited than Becky's, especially since she is breast-feeding. Having Becky's mum with us for the first couple of weeks is a godsend. We'd certainly cope without her, but having her here has taken the pressure off. She's good company too (don't tell her I said that though). Emily is adorable. Of course, I have to say that, but she is perfect. Baby's don't do much (eat, sleep, poo, wee, cry, gurn pretty much covers it) but what she does do, is lovely. Breast-feeding is hard. You kinda expect it to just work but it's not like that. Of course, there's plenty of advice (some of it coming from me - me!) for the breast-feeding mother but it's not always easy to follow. Luckily, Emily seems to have got the hang of it now, after a few slightly fraught days (and nights). The advantages of breast-feeding are so great that I think both of us would have been a bit upset (Becky particularly) if Emily hadn't taken to it. Perserverance, that's the key. There isn't much time in the day that isn't taken up with baby issues. And at the moment, there are three of us here dealing with it. Once Becky's mum has gone home and I'm at work, Becky is going to be very busy. Still, she's proving to be a fantastic mum (and a wonderful wife but I knew that already). I never doubted it. I hope I'm holding up at my end. Ask Emily in 18 years. My training has definitely been affected. Mostly, last week when Becky was in hospital and I missed 3 days. I'm back on track this week, and I've only missed one (cycling) session. 15 mile run tomorrow. The main problem has been getting up and out before the sun scorches the earth. It's tricky when sleep is hard to come by. It's 10pm now and I'm going to have to go to bed to ensure I'm awake early enough. Still, it's supposed to rain tomorrow, so maybe I won't have to be out the door by 8.