All traces of babyness are gone. I look at this picture and I just
see a boy. Part of me breaks and part of me rejoices. Fatherhood is
like that. I'm so glad the preemie baby has grown into this wonderful
kid. But there's a side that knows he'll never be small enough to hold
in my hands again. And that makes me sad. Someone once told
me that parenting was learning to incrementally let go from the moment
your child leaves the womb. So I let go once more; and watch my precious
son take another step, cross another threshold, and conquer another
milestone.