Come out, come out wherever you are!

We've been pretty much in hiding since bringing our bundle home in early October. Sure, we've had the occasional trip to church, or the grocery, or Target to meet Carly, but pretty much, we've been sequestered in the house for 5 looonnnnggg months. With March quickly coming to a close, we're about to reach a big milestone for us. April. The month where it magically becomes ok to treat Gideon like a real live human and let him out of his cage and roam free. Well, pretty much. Apparently mid-April is when the dreaded RSV monster goes into hiding for another year and all the good little boys are allowed out to play. So with that date rapidly approaching, and our calendar rapidly filling up with outside plans, I find myself getting a little panicky. I mean, for 6 months I've lived, breathed and worried about my little preemie and his exposure to the outside world, or lack thereof. I have carried him with me with a sign on his car seat that says "please wash your hands before touching mine" which loosely translates to "stay the heck away from my baby!". I have been double-fisted with the hand sanitizer and baby wiped everything Gideon looked at. Paranoid mom? You bet! But, I am a rule follower, and follow the rules I did. So now, just like that, I am to treat him like a normal baby. Gotta admit, I'm having a bit of trouble. Working on it, but still, it's so hard to let go. I know that this is a first in a long line of letting go, but I'm not ready. What's next? Walking? School? Borrowing the car? The doctor at his last appointment suggested we start using a sippy cup. It made me cry. Where is my little baby going? I'm trying so hard to memorize every last baby detail so that when he's a big boy, I'll have my memories. And I'm trying very hard to be a big girl myself and let him grow up, even if it means at this point, just letting him touch things. Boy, this growing stuff really is hard! I think we'll head outside today to sit on a blanket and watch the world go by. I know April is fast approaching, so are teeth, being able to sit up, baseball practice and girls. But for today, my boy and I will hide away from the world. Just for a while longer. After all, it is still March.