Love doesn't have to be hard

Chapter 28: Sleep Deprivation

Three weeks later:

Liam is a really good baby, but we are so sleep-deprived it's not funny. He wants to be fed every three hours. Tessa is exhausted; I am exhausted. Hell, I think Liam is exhausted.

When I hear him cry, I wake Tess up. I get him and change him, then bring him to her. She feeds him, I burp him, and we go back to sleep. 

This goes on all night, every three hours. I mean, he is the cutest thing, so I can't be upset, but I would love to sleep five hours straight.

When he smiles, my heart just erupts with love. The love I have for my son and my wife is like nothing I have ever felt. My parents stayed for a week after he was born, and then they returned home to Florida.

I have tried to help Tessa with feeding. I bought her a breast pump so we could both feed him, but she doesn't like to use it.

We do our classes online every morning, and then we take care of Liam. He will sleep while we are doing our classes, and through most of the day, it's at night when he wants to wake up every three hours.

Mom said she believes he has his nights and days mixed up. She told me to keep awake during the day, and then he would sleep at night. So, we have been trying to keep him awake by letting him take little cat naps for fifteen to thirty minutes every three hours. 

He isn't very happy with us right now because he wants to sleep, and we won't let him. He and I had a little talk. 

"So, see, son, it's not fun when you want to sleep and we don't let you. That's how Mommy and Daddy feel when we want to sleep at night, and you want to feed that belly every three hours."

"Mommy and Daddy have classes, so we can't stay awake all night. In five years, you will have school as well, and then you will see the struggle."

"You can whine and be mad at me, but if this works, you will sleep most of the night, maybe waking up once or twice to be fed. You see how sad your beautiful Mommy looks. Well, that's because she isn't getting enough sleep."

She laughed at me while I was talking to our son. "Zed, he doesn't care about anything you are saying; he wants to sleep."

"Yeah, well, we all want things, but we don't always get what we want."

"What is it you want?"

"Well, you, but that ain't happening for another three weeks, and sleep. Five solid hours of sleep, and I will be good."

"No, we can't make love yet, but I am healed, so we can do other things." She looked over at him with her sexy little grin that always turns me on. 

"Oh really? What might other things be there, my lovely wife?"

"You know what other things we can do with our mouths."  

"Liam, ignore everything you hear right now. Mommy and Daddy are discussing adult things that little ears should never hear.  Really, things with our mouths? You miss my tongue on you, baby."

"Yes, very much so. Just like I know you miss my mouth wrapped around you."

"You are getting very nasty, and I think I love it. actually, I know I do. I enjoy this side of you open and telling me when you want something. Much better than the shy girl who was afraid to tell me what she wanted or use her words to tell me."  

"Okay, well, it is four. Let him nap while we do that; then, we can brush our teeth and wake him up." Zed placed him on his shoulder and rocked him just as his phone buzzed. 

"Babe, will you get that?"

"It's a text from Hardin. He says, I am coming over. Is Liam awake? He has a surprise for you."