Okay – you’re 4-6 months into this baby-raising thing. You’re starting to feel like a pro with diapers, naps, bottles and/or breastfeeding. But at your 6-month appointment (or maybe sooner) your pediatrician tells you it’s time to start solids. Baby food. Lovely.
As I write this, Maddie is officially 38 weeks old—exactly how long she was in utero. “38 weeks in, 38 weeks out.” I’ve been fortunate enough to have an amazing breastfeeding journey with her these past 8.5 months, and while I never envisioned going beyond a year, this weird part of me isn’t ready for it to end in a couple of months.
Is it because she’s my last baby? Is it because it’s actually kind of easy this go-round? Is it because breastfeeding is literally the only thing allowing me to skip the gym AND burn calories? I guess it will remain a mystery… 😉
Dads don’t get it done like moms.
You know what I mean, right? As moms, we usually have a lot to juggle. We carry babies in our arms while leaping through the toy filled terrain, dodging feet debilitating metal tractors and plastic baby bottles to answer the phone, fill up a sippy cup or diffuse an attitude bomb of a threenager; all while making sure your roast isn’t lighting up the oven like the 4th of July.
I remember welcoming our first baby girl into the world and all of the excitement we shared with our friends and families. Along with the excitement, it brought a ton of advice on how to be a parent and people wanting to share their personal experiences. The thing we heard the most, even from strangers, was to enjoy your child it because they grow up so fast. Man were they right!