Baby Buzz

Over and over again, we've heard "Wait until he is walking, then he'll really keep you moving."

We knew we wouldn't have to wait long. Our boy was determined to move from day one. When he was just a few months old, arms not strong enough to lift his upper body, Nish was trying to crawl. He'd use his powerful legs to push, push, push, plowing his face through the carpet toward his target destination. He didn't always end up where he wanted, because 1) it's difficult to aim when you're facing the floor and 2) rug burn on the forehead can dissuade even the most determined of babies.

He was crawling properly before Christmas. Then he was sitting up, and the same day he realized he could sit, he attempted to climb onto the sofa. By mid-January, he was crawling up stairs. And at about 10 1/2 months, he was walking.

And both his parents were exhausted, but not really losing the weight. Because once your toddler is toddling, your pace slows down to match the strides of his small legs. No more power walks, pushing him in the stroller, because now he wants to be the one pushing the stroller, and you are starting and stopping to adjust said stroller so it doesn't careen off the sidewalk into the road or through a neighbor's bed of petunias. Your heart rate may be up on a walk with your toddler, but it's not exactly cardio, nor fatburning.

So how exactly does a toddler help you lose weight?

By exercising some of his other new skills: reaching, pincher grasping, aiming for his mouth, and chewing and/or throwing what you had thought was going to be your food.

One time I was eating lunch, and Nish asked to sit on my lap. I figured I could do both, and maybe my boy would like to try a little of what I was having. After one taste, Nish began eating with both hands, and I struggled to keep up and get a few morsels of food for myself.

That was a more successful moment. Other times, I have found my meal attacked with gusto, only to be tossed on the floor the next moment, because it didn't taste quite the way he had hoped.

I could indulge in disappointment and hunger, or I could view this as an opportunity for a little aerobic floor cleaning along with my extremely low-calorie meal. (It's so hard to see the bright side when you can barely focus due to hunger.)

Yes, the days of feeding Nish pureed green or orange stuff at a restaurant while Ronak and I enjoyed pizza or burritos is over. He's not quite big enough for a kid-sized portion, but he's definitely big enough to "share" and reduce Ronak's and my food to kid-sized portions.

Thanks to Nish's improved feeding skills, the pounds are just dropping off me. I only wish I had the strength to enjoy it - or to catch my racing toddler! That boy is really moving! (Must be all that good food he's eating.)

Give Mommy a hand up, will you, honey? And maybe you could toss me one of those Cheerios? Then hopefully I'll have the energy to make another meal - that you can steal off my plate, of course.