In publishing, new titles are usually released on Tuesdays.  So when our little guy was born on a Tuesday night—our own little new release—I was delighted for more reasons than one.

 

Each Tuesday since has provided me with a special opportunity to reflect on how far both he and I have come since he was born.  As we mark the passage of each week, I find myself thinking back to what John and I were doing on the day Jacob was born.  I know my mom does this on my birthday each year, and I see why.  It’s natural to reflect on the life of this little boy, who is now in my arms, growing bigger and bigger each week.  And yet it’s surreal to think back on the time, not so long ago, when he was still in my belly and we were waiting to meet him.  This perspective has made Tuesday my new favorite day of the week.

 

During the first two weeks of his life, we measured Jacob’s age in days.  After that, we measured in weeks, or more often, weeks-and-a-half—any day that wasn’t a Tuesday (he was born on a Tuesday) merited a response that gave credit to the passage of that extra day, or two, or six.

 

Today we reached the twelve-week mark, and we’re beginning to transition to measuring our little one’s age in months.  In fact, I just told a woman in the elevator that Jacob is “almost three months.”  Contrary to what you may have been taught, twelve weeks does not necessarily equate to three months in my book.  I’ll save that for December twenty-first, thankyouverymuch.

 

The time is going quickly, for sure, but because I’m with him all day, I don’t feel that it’s passing too quickly.  Sure, I’m getting nostalgic as he grows out of clothes—and frustrated with myself for not cycling some of the less worn pieces into his wardrobe sooner—but watching him do new things like snuggle more in the mornings, and smile and coo more in the evenings is phenomenal.  I wouldn’t trade in these days for the old, and I’m trying to be constantly aware of what a blessing each moment with him is.

 

Things may also seem a bit slower because our Peanut is the size of the average six-month-old.  More often than not, people think he’s older than he is, so saying that he’s younger than folks expect makes it seem like the time isn’t getting away from us so quickly.  Perhaps it’s all an illusion, and in the future, I will think it all passed too quickly, but not now.

 

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned thus far in life, I learned while I was abroad in college, but I’m finding it’s even more important now.  It is to be grateful for every day, whether it was easy or hard, happy or sad, clearly life-changing or seemingly mundane.  I hope I can pass that lesson on to this little guy, because he has certainly made it even more real for me.