Finding the newborn groove

M is taking over the evening shift, which is allowing me to write this post.

A friend signed off her email congratulating me on the birth of Boo Boo by saying, "I hope you find your newborn groove soon." I'm finding a good chunk of being a parent is getting into -- and staying in -- that groove. When we eat, when we sleep, when we play. And yes, my almost two-week-old son is interested in playing. He's amazingly alert.

My mom left yesterday, and while it was teary and scary, she told me I was ready to fly solo. And today, I did. I even gave the baby a bath on my own and found time to eat and shower. We also took a ride to Lowe's. It was a good feeling.