Sunday, February 1, 2009

Stop the presses, babies turn into children.

I was at the grocery store yesterday, and Owen was making faces at a woman who was standing nearby, debating between Newman's Own and Muir Glen tomato sauce. She said to me, "how old is he, about one?" and I empahatically denied that my baby could be anywhere close to one. "oh, no. no no." I said. "He's 10 months. Well, 10 1/2. He'll be 11 months February 15th". And the woman looked at me like I was a little slow, and said, "So....that's about one."

oh. mah. gawd. That IS about one.

I realize that this isn't (or shouldn't be) a news flash, but I just can't beleive how fast this year has gone. It's not for lack of people telling me it would go quickly - sometimes I feel like people are robots with three to five programmed responses when they hear the word baby: "how old?" "does he sleep?" "it goes by so fast!". You hear it about a dozen times a week but I've always felt like it's just one of those things, like "how are you" that people say. They don't care how you are. It's a stock phrase. But yesterday I realized how very, very fast it does go.

When your baby is one, you start referring to him as your kid, or your son, and less as your baby all the time. One year olds have a personality, and a sense of humor. They're sneaky. Owen walks and does things he's not supposed to do to get my attention if he thinks I'm ignoring him. He doesn't drink from a bottle anymore. He has six teeth. When your baby is one, people ask you when you're having another one and they're not teasing you. When your baby is one, you no longer just had a baby. you just....have a baby. When your baby is one, you transition from being a couple that is adapting to having a baby in the house to a family of three. When this big can of formula we're on right now is gone, I probably won't buy more. Because one year olds drink milk. Like regular people.

And so I probably AM a little slow, because I had this major revelation yesterday in the tomato sauce aisle. Crazy town.

4 comments:

Christine Ryan said...

You're funny! Yep.... believe it or not the next 3 year will go just as fast. Matty just turned 4 and I had to take a double take when his birthday rolled around. You're not the only one who thinks this way, its just you'll probably be joining them now to warm other parents about how fast time flies with their little ones. At least that's what happened to me. Hope all is going well. We should get together soon. I can't wait to see Owen walking :)

Julie said...

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfactor/archive/tags/david+after+dentist/default.aspx

jj said...

It is a valid point. But I read this a long time ago, before I decided to start a blog, and it made me feel pretty confident that this kind of blogging is ok.

http://dooce.com/2008/05/02/newsletter-month-fifty-and-fifty-one

Gracie B. said...

I'm 25 - mom still calls me her baby. So Owen still has a good 24 years and one month ;)