author: Jeanette Mesite Frem

Someone once said, “kids grow…that’s what they do!”  It’s so true.  You literally wake up one morning and they are different. Sometimes it honestly looks like they’ve grown an inch during their 2-hour nap.  They add fat to their adorable little cheeks.  Their diapers suddenly don’t fit (ahem, the blow-out is a sign!). Their eyes open wider.  Their smile is brighter.  They can roll over.  They make a sound that sounds like they are trying to say “hi” or “mama” or “up”.  They grow boobs.  [Sorry, I’m jumping ahead. My 12-year-old was just a baby in my arms yesterday.]

My 3-year-old niece and I drew this picture this morning.  She asked me to draw a circle person so I drew the bigger figure.  She quickly drew the smaller one and made them hold hands and said, “look, they are walking together!”  Ah, out of the mouths of babes.

It can be overwhelming, at times, to take care of a baby 24-7 (which I why I recommend 23-6.5).  We need breaks to take care of ourselves so we can be more present in the moments we share with our children.  Because in that one hour a day when we’re

• drinking some tea (slowly, now…)
• eating (with a fork, at a table, with a book, of course)
• on the 1/2-day when you are running errands (or at the spa, right!?)
• back at work for a few hours or a full day
• enjoying a baby-free/kid-free meal with a friend or your lover (!)

you will come back to look at your baby and they will have changed.  It’s all perspective.  If you don’t step away for a while you don’t gain perspective and look with fresh eyes.

So, today, just stare at your baby, take lots of pictures (and upload them to a safe place) and revel in watching your baby grow.  So.  Fast.