38 Weeks

That's how old Will is today. Because of my pre-eclampsia, that was his gestational age at birth. He has been out of the womb as long as he was in it. These past 8+ months have gone by so fast. I have really done my best to enjoy Will at every stage of the game, but he is changing and growing so rapidly that sometimes it is difficult to take a breath and step back. He's such a little overachiever that he seems to grow by leaps and bounds daily. As Rolf said, it's been fun to watch the little lights come on as he reaches new developmental milestones, but this past month or so, it's like someone threw the generator switch and lit up the whole town. Since Christmas, Will has grown six teeth, started and mastered crawling, gotten more specific with his vocalizations (including a "muh-muh" every now and then), gotten the courage to shuffle along the coffee table as he holds on, learned how to set himself down gently, transitioned mostly from bottles to sippy and regular cups, and begun to eat "chewy" solid food. Whew! He's been a busy boy.

I suppose, when you think that it took us 56 months of actively trying (after 32 months of "if it happens, it happens"), 9 months isn't such a long time. That makes me feel a little better about how fast it all seems to be flying by. The joy Will has brought us in these last 16 months makes up for the years of despair we felt when we thought we'd never get to have him. Just looking at his sweet face, listening to his precious laugh, and feeling his little arms cling to me fills me with indescribable love and satisfaction. Parenthood is all I ever hoped (knew) it would be, and I am thankful every day I get to experience it with Rolf and Will.