Date Night

S~Well, Teresa and I finally got to go out for a night to ourselves, first time in 9 months (not including when Clare was in the hospital). Special thanks to Christina! So as we saddled up to the bar at Olive Garden for some drinks and appetizers and did what every couple does when they are out for a romantic night, just the two of them, we talked about the kids! Actually we only talked about them for a little while and then forced ourselves to talk about something else. But as we were talking about Clare and everything that has been going on the last nine months, we both came to a realization of one of God's gifts. You have heard the old phrase: "Enjoy them now, because they grow so fast!" This is so true. Jamie is already turning his 3T shirts into belly shirts and is talking a mile a minute. It seems like just yesterday he was a baby just learning to crawl. We realized what a special gift God gave us in Clare. He has allowed us to enjoy the baby in her for a little bit longer than if she was a typical kid. What I mean is that at Clare's age, Jamie was crawling, saying Da Da Da Da, eating with his hands, and just trying to figure so many things out. Clare still has a lot of the baby things in her. She still needs to be held for almost everything. She is just starting to explore what her hands and feet are for. She is working really hard on sitting up. In the past, this has been very difficult for us because who wants their child to be delayed? We see other kids passing her developmentally. We see kids younger than her doing so much better at little things that it hurts. I have had such a hard time dealing with the developmental portion of the Williams. But last night we came to the conclusion that we should relish this extra time God has given us with the baby side of Clare. She won't always be like this. In a few years she may catch up developmentally. Then she will be where Jamie is now - asking us questions a mile a minute without taking a breath. So from now on when we see a baby who is maybe younger than Clare or the same age and can do so much more than Clare can, we are not going to be upset by the developmental delays of Clare, but instead be thankful that God has given us one more month of babyhood, one more snuggle in our arms, one more joyful smile as she pounds her cups against the T.V. tray. Kids do grow so fast, and these a days, a lot faster. So I'm thankful my Clarebear is helping us to slow down, helping us to hold on to our baby for just a little while longer.