My wife and I welcomed our first child, a daughter, in late October. Our lives have changed so much in the few short weeks since. Former routines have been shattered. Thought patterns changed. Our two house cats even behave differently!

Prior to her arrival, we often got similar comments from friends and strangers: "sleep while you can." If another parent happened to say these words, they inevitably came with a knowing glance or twinkle of the eye. Though unsaid, the implied "trust me on this, and enjoy it while it lasts" always came through with conviction.

Now that we're several weeks into parenthood, I can better identify with those parenting veterans. I knew sleep was going to be a precious commodity, but I didn't know to what extent. Some nights are better than others (and things are slowly improving), but lots of mornings still start in a dense fog of exhaustion. I'm most amazed at how my body has adjusted to this change. As it turns out, we humans can apparently survive on less than 8 hours of sleep a night; who knew?!

In the end, the lack of sleep is small potatoes. When your child needs you, you're there for her in a heartbeat. And when she looks at you and smiles, it gives you the energy to do it all a hundred times over.