We had a baby last month. I am really, really into this baby.

Like, the baby is so good.

I am one of those people who is prone to over-thinking simple things. The last time I bought a backpack, it took me more than a year to decide on bag evaluation criteria, develop a personal theory of backpack aesthetics, understand the environmental and ethical implications of buying from this or that company … I guess what I’m saying is that I am a dweeb.

But so the point is: if my feelings about a dumb ol’ backpack are complex to the point of unmanageable, please try to imagine what my brain does when confronted with questions of parenthood.

I wanted to start capturing some of these feelings somehow. Newborn babies don’t tend to let you sleep, and sleep deprivation messes with your ability to form memories. I feel sure that I won’t remember most of my thoughts tomorrow, let alone next year. And it turns out that this is a slightly scary way to feel when it’s in relation to a tiny, beautiful, fragile human I helped to make. I’m worried I’ll forget the small details this experience that all feel so important when they happen.

I’ve taken so many photos that my phone has run out of storage space. I’ve done some writing to try and capture the very personal stuff I don’t intend to share with internet strangers (no offense). For the stuff in between, a webcomic currently seems like a good idea. I already type too much for work and for fun, so blogging doesn’t appeal for this job. I like to draw and want more excuses to do it … There you go.

Reading webcomics has been a part of my morning routine for years. I wanted to call out a couple artists whose work has inspired me towards doing my own thing:

• Kate Beaton is brilliant and everybody knows it. Her site is not currently updating, but she occasionally posts new stuff to twitter (@beatonna) that I am finding extremely relatable.
• Kevin Budnik (@knittedsweater) makes a journal comic that is sometimes sad and often really thoughtful and poetic.

Lastly: I’m really just doing this comic for myself. If you get something out of reading it, that would make me very happy. But I’m a busy person with a growing family and a fulfilling job. While I aspire to write and post comics regularly for my own sake, I think it’s not responsible to make promises about a posting schedule.

Now I’ll try and sleep, although I may just stare at baby pictures on my phone instead. Good night!