Everyone in our house has been dealing with different sleep issues over the last few weeks, and it’s high time for reflection.
For me, the issue is a lack of sleep; the very same guidebook that has kept me from blogging regularly also is keeping me from putting my head on the pillow for more than [...]

The Villano family spent last night in the guest cabin at a well-known Napa Valley winery. Since the place didn’t have a crib, we brought L’s travel Pack-N-Play, an old-school model that’s about twice the size of the ones they sell today.
As always, L took the opportunity to make us laugh. Hysterically.
It usually happens when [...]

You’ve undoubtedly heard the saying about how absence makes the heart grow fonder. Despite the importance of moms and dads being there for their children, I’d say this concept applies to parenthood, too.
Powergirl and I were reminded of it last night, as we spent the night at a swanky resort in the Napa Valley. While [...]

Considering that I fell asleep at my computer four times in six nights last week (and considering that I’m writing this at 3 a.m.), I’d say it’s high time something about my work schedule (watch the baby all day; work late into the night) changed.
And so it is with great excitement this week that I [...]

A good friend of mine became a father last week—the latest in a series of spectacular milestones for him (he’s an accomplished author of multiple books). Now, the fun for him really begins.
He learned this immediately. After he and his wife spent their first night home with the new baby, he sent me (and, I [...]

It’s been five days or so since we switched back to Daylight Standard Time, and despite the dwindling amounts of sunshine, these have been the five longest days of my year.
Never mind I’ve been working crazy hours. Forget, for a moment, that we’re refinancing.
Really, the parachute-sized bags under my eyes (and the Olympus Mons of [...]

It would be interesting to interface with developmental psychologists about when most children begin to develop free will. Is it around Kindergarten age? It is not until elementary school?
Whatever the science would say, we have a statistical anomaly in our midst here with L.
Still two weeks shy of her 17-month birthday, the girl frequently displays [...]

It was no surprise when the New York Yankees came back in dramatic fashion to beat the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series tonight. The real surprise: That I didn’t wake up L with my screams and cheers.
I’ve previously established on this blog (and elsewhere) that I’m a die-hard Yankees [...]

As a work-at-home dad, I’m always battling a multitude of distractions. Some days, it’s baseball. Other days, it’s “Hellcats.” Still other days, it might be a fresh batch of Powergirl’s famous chocolate chip cookies.
One distraction that’s always here: my baby girl.
It feels strange referring to L as a “distraction,” but from an impartial, professional perspective, [...]

Because I watch the baby almost every day of the week, Sunday mornings are a gift from heaven—my only opportunities to sleep in, hide under the covers and generally behave like a total sloth.
You can imagine, then, why the events of this morning have me breathing fire. I was awakened by the incessant barking of [...]