....My Baby

Does it EVER get any easier to watch your one and only baby grow up, and away, from you? My son turned 15 last week. He begins high school in less than six hours. I always cry on the first day of school. I take comfort in the fact this is common Mom behavior.

My son weighed 3 pounds, 14 ounces at birth. He had no health issues other than his size. After 12 days in the NICU they allowed me to take him home weighing 4 pounds, 2 ounces. That was a bit less than they wanted him to weigh, but I convinced them if I could just get my baby home, away from the glaring lights and noise of the hospital, he would begin to gain weight. And he did.

Those first few weeks with him are pressed into my memory like flowers pressed between the pages of a book. I remember gently rocking him in the middle of the night and telling myself these days would be fleeting. I had no idea just how fleeting....

I am so proud of the young man he has become. I am also grateful to my mother for setting the bar high, and giving me something to aim for in my mothering journey. Seriously though....it does get easier, doesn't it? Somewhere down the line? Lie to me if you have to, but tell me it gets easier. Please.