It was Isaac Newton, I believe, who pontificated on the relationship between action and reaction. Perhaps dude was referring not to the laws of motion, but instead to the laws of parenthood.

Case in point: L’s recent sleeping patterns. The good news: She’s been going down for the night around 7:15 or so, giving Powergirl and me ample time to enjoy quiet evenings together. The bad news: Since she’s getting so much sleep, L has been getting up before the crack of dawn, raring to go.

This morning was particularly rough; by 4:45 a.m., the baby was done with sleep for the night. Naturally, because it’s a weekday (and Powergirl teaches Monday through Thursday), I was the one in line to deal.

We made due. We played. We snuggled. We ate breakfast. Eventually, L went back to bed (on the floor with me, which meant I was too uncomfortable to follow suit).

But, man alive, am I zonked—almost too zonked to concentrate on work.

As I type this post around 10:45 a.m., the two of us already have been awake for a good six hours. The baby is still going strong, dancing to the alphabet song and walking around the kitchen. I, however, am ready for dinner, some Golden Spoon and the next Top Chef.

In the future, Powergirl and I will be careful what we wish for. Every action has a reaction, Mr. Newton taught us. Maybe those 7:15 p.m. bedtimes aren’t as good as they seem.