Early to Rise

I've watched a lot of TLC in the past 29 1/2 weeks. I know more than any man should know about breastfeeding, and epidurals, and jaundice.

I've also read a great deal of material about how our baby is growing and what changes are occurring in my wife.

I'm a very involved father-to-be.

For as much TLC as I've seen and as many books as I've read, there are still a few little golden moments of discovery, like this morning.

I woke up at 630am for work and realized my wife was gone. What has happened here? Was she out on the couch? Is it the snoring again? I walked into the living room, expecting to see her sleeping peacefully. Nope. Maybe she's eating breakfast. No sign of her there. Perhaps she's on the computer, catching up on The Undaground. Negative.

As I walked back through the kitchen, bleary-eyed and confused, I saw a figure through the window in my peripheral vision. Sure enough, as the sun struggled to peek over the horizon, there she was, pruning the bushes in the backyard.

I stepped outside and, in lieu of a perfectly-timed comedic quip, asked "Gardening, huh?"

"I couldn't sleep."

Fair enough. I didn't know what to say. It takes a lot to surprise me, but this worked. Dumbfounded, I said the most husbandly, supportive thing I could think of:

"Don't overdo it."

Maybe the author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" should add a section to Week 29 about pruning at daybreak. It happens. I've seen it.