You don't have to thank me for being a dad.

That's what Matt said to me last night when I passed Camden off to him so I could get a much-needed nap from 9pm-12am. This has become our nightly routine. Then I get up at midnight and take over while Matt goes to bed for the night.

Having a newborn isn't exactly easy. Thank you, Captain Obvious, right? Camden's not even a high-maintenance baby; he simply doesn't care much for sleep at night. He isn't overly fussy and he rarely breaks into an all-out cry. But he will be quietly alert for hours at a time at night. Sometimes, in my state of exhausted delirium, I look at those wide eyes at 4am and all I can do is laugh.

I do nap during the day for at least an hour while he naps. My mom has been coming over a few times during the week to help with housework, dinner, and just preserving my sanity. But still- it's not easy. The nights sometime seem never-ending.

But I know this is a rite of passage into new parenthood. I know it gets better and easier. I know the first couple of months are the hardest.

And no matter how exhausted I am, both emotionally and physically, I can never be too frustrated when I look at his sweet little face. Even if it is in the wee hours of the night.

Last night, as I passed Camden off to Matt so I could climb into my warm bed for a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep, I said, "Thank you."

And that's when he said it: "You don't have to thank me for being a dad."

It was exactly what my exhausted, weary ears needed to hear.