When I think of small-talk, it’s generally things like:

“How ’bout them Mets!” or “Enough snow for ya?”

But now that there’s an infant in my life, the topic of sleep is where the conversations always head.

“Are you getting any sleep?” is generally the third most-asked question I hear when people are meeting Ted for the first time or are just learning of his existence. The most-asked question is: “What’s his name?” with the immediate follow-up to that of: “Is that a family name?”

1. His name is Theodore for legal documents, formal invitations, or when he’s in trouble – hasn’t happened yet but I’m sure it will. It’s Ted for the informal, everyday use, and it’s Teddy for those extra-cute moments or when I’m imagining him being a high-ranking member of The Family later in life. Ya know, like “Teddy Kneecaps” or “Teddy-the-Nose.”
2. No, it’s not a family name, at least not that we know of. We just like it. And while not at all intentional, we could say that he’s named after former President Roosevelt, a chubby chipmunk, or even the 1914 winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
3. Yes, I sleep quite well actually; thanks for asking. Ted has been sleeping for a solid 6 (sometimes 7) hours during the first sleep segment of the night and I don’t think I could really ask for much more. Well, ok, 12 hours would be awesome, but I can function just fine on 6 hours of sleep at night and 3 cups of coffee during the day.  With the new Keurig at the office and K-cups on auto-subscription with Amazon, it’s all good.

Perhaps some people would think of it as too laissez-faire, but we feed him when he’s hungry, change him when he’s wet, and let him sleep when he’s tired. (Others might also call this lazy parenting.) But so far this strategy is working well for all three of us.

And speaking of sleep, it is way past my bedtime.