Being I’m not with Maya 24/7 as I’d like to be sometimes, weekends take on a whole new level of pleasure for me. It’s time spent completely with her … undivided family time, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sure, sometimes I miss the freedom and spontaneity of just going for coffee with a friend, hitting up a fitness class that I just found out about, or just randomly treating myself to a pedi without having to think “Crap, I can’t. Today Luis has XYZ, so we’d need a sitter.”

Nothing just “happens” anymore on a whim; things need to be planned out. Even weekend time requires some foresight. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. I love my time with her!

But this Saturday, aside from my Zumba class and hitting up the farmer’s market, we had no plans. No need for foresight. After her nap, we played outside in the little blow-up pool for a bit and then, when she seemed to have had enough, we came inside. That’s when I happened to catch this adorable exchange on video.

You have to turn the volume up but in the sweetest, breathiest voice you can hear Maya say “Bye-Bye Mama” on her way out of the room. I melted ten times over, and must have watched this video 300 times.

I remember when all I wanted to hear was “Mama” (which she finally said at 11 months). Now she says it all the time, but in the past two weeks has been combining “Bye-Bye” with her favorite objects: “Bye-Bye Dada” and “Bye-Bye Car” and “Bye-Bye Cocco [Rocco]” … it’s ridiculously cute.

Truly, some of the best moments come when there are no plans …