39 Weeks "IN" ... 39 Weeks "Out"

When I woke up this morning to the sound of my little man saying “da-da” and laughing in his pack n play I realized that 39 weeks ago today I held him in my arms for the first time after exactly 39 weeks of pregnancy. He’s officially been “out” as long as he was “in”…. AND today marks his 9 month birthday!

Thought it would be fun to do a quick picture comparison….

Here I am the day before I gave birth to him at 39 weeks weighing 163lbs:

Here I am today 39 weeks later weighing 123 pounds:

 

And here he is my 9 month old handsome little man – weighing in at 19lbs, 15oz and 28.5 inches tall!

 

Life has flown by these last nine months. I remember looking at his face the day he was born amazed and in awe of how perfect he was. As he’s grown and changed, I find myself more in awe every single day at the boy he’s becoming. I no longer see a tiny baby but a child, my child. The one that grew inside me for 39 weeks, the one that kicked me in my sleep to remind me he was there, the one that got the hiccups every single day (and still does), the one that sat on my sciatic nerve my entire third trimester, the one we wanted so badly. I see a curious child now, one that has been alert and aware since the moment he was born. The one who’s eyes light up when he sees me or his daddy. The one who reaches for me when he wants to be picked up, who snuggles against my chest when he’s not feeling well. This is my world, my son.

It’s amazing how quickly life goes by when you have a child. I remember before him, days used to drag by, especially in the winter – I would think “this week is never going to end”… now I find myself praying for more time, for extra hours in the day. Being a full-time working mom I only get a few hours a day with him and most of that time is spent getting his stuff ready for school the next day, making dinner and then nursing him and putting him to bed. I cherish our weekends together, when we can take long walks, roll around on the floor and just laugh and play for hours. And yet, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. I like to believe (as naïve as it is) that he saves his “firsts” for us… he waits to do something for the first time until mommy or daddy are around. He wants us to see it, to smile and clap. And do we ever!! Everything this boy does is incredible. We think he’s the cutest, the smartest, the funniest, the most loving… as all parents do with their children. But really …. He is!

I can’t tell you how many times we get stopped by complete strangers so they can tell us how beautiful he is. He has these eyes that literally stare into your soul. He’s drinking in the world around him, fascinated by life. And what more could a parent wish for? I want him to continue to be curious, to want to learn and grow and experience life to the absolute fullest.

Today, as I looked down at him in his crib, and saw him curled up in a ball with his little bum in the air I cried. As fast as these last nine months have gone, I know the next 18 years will go even faster. I will continue to cherish every moment with him, cheer him in times of success and comfort him in times of sadness, we will nurture him and teach him, be his friend when he needs us and his nemesis when necessary, but most importantly we will love him with everything we have. To the Moon and Back, and Back Again.