When you’re expecting a baby, rest assured at least one person will go out of their way to tell you, with great sincerity and emotion, this terribly cliché sounding advice: “Enjoy every moment with your kid because they grow up fast.” I used to get a chuckle out of this comment for a couple reasons: (a Time couldn’t go any slower than when you’re baking a bun in the oven; and (b I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean to enjoy the meconium diaper changing moments. I hadn’t even given birth yet and veteran parents everywhere were making me feel like I was packing my son’s hatchback for college.

Driving home from the hospital, I was already looking forward to his first smile, his first laugh, and the first time he’d be able to see past the end of his nose. Being inexperienced at motherhood, I wanted to fast-forward to the part when he would be less fragile, more awake, and honestly, the part where he didn’t cry with colicky tummy from 8pm until midnight. But at the same time, I loved comforting him, nourishing him, and worrying obsessively about things like how many ounces were going in and how many were coming out. read more