Just Caleb and I

The last two days have been an absolute joy for me in an unusual way - I had the chance to spend them solely with Caleb. My mom took Colin those two days to give me a little break. The idea was that I could actually have some time to myself without a two year old hanging off my every move.

I discovered two things. One - I cannot believe how much of my attention Colin takes up. I truely had no idea. Yesterday I awoke to a fresh loaf of homemade bread, baked banana bread, did the dishes, swept the kitchen, showered, dressed and prepped some Cuban chicken strips for dinner - all before 9am! Most mornings I'm lucky if the three of us are dressed by then.

The second thing I discovered was that it was incredible to spend some time alone with Caleb. Granted, he had a few naps during which I was able to get some precious reading time in, but while he was awake I snuggled with him, played the piano for him, played with him, bathed him, massaged him - and just generally spent some one-on-one time with him.

For those of you out there with more than one kid, I highly recommend trying to fit this kind of quality time in. Many of you have new babies, and I know how easy it is to keep transferring them from room to room and plop them in a swing, on a mat, or in a crib. But when you really get to give them your undivided attention, it will remind you of what it was like when your first was brand new, and it was just the two of you.

For those whose children are older, the one-on-one time is even more precious. I can still remember my father taking me on "Daddy-daughter dates" as a kid. I even remember the first one - I was five and we went to see the movie "Follow That Bird". (I can remember some of the scenes, and even remember it scaring me a little!) I love the idea of large families, and James and I definitely want more kids, but I hope that I'll be able to develop a special and different relationship with each one.