Babies

Ben told me about what he learned from this developmental psychologist at his clerkship. Babies 0-6 months old are going through a withdrawal process in which they still feel like they're connected to their mothers body, if only through her breast. It's like the embilical cord was cut, but the baby doesn't know it yet. As they get on to 8 months or something, they'll start to understand they are separate from their mother. This is also when they'll start refusing things and saying no. This is confusing for some parents as they may see this as an expression of ingratitude, when really the baby is just realizing a separateness, and it is a good part of development.

So I've been going through the Beth Moore study about Jesus. And I thought about how weird it is that Jesus was a baby. Not a novel thought I'm sure, but the fact that he went through these stages, just like all of us. Jesus was a helpless baby who still felt connected to Mary's body until several months later when he would begin to form a sense of individuality as a baby.

I started volunteering at the Redeemer nursery, and it's been good to get some baby time (it's coming up this Sunday!). I think as a young person in NYC, I just don't get enough time with certain age groups. Basically, I spend a lot of time with people my age and middle aged men, that's boring. Babies just show you how remarkable the process of growing up is. It's amazing how much they figure out on their own and learn in just one month. Being able to walk, knowing which shapes go into what hole, or learning how to dance just seem so amazing from someone who can barely speak. How do they figure stuff like that out? Babies are pretty awesome.