Project 52 | what you take...

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Let the NICU lifestyle commence! 

I posted this truth as a Pinterest pin earlier this week and it has been a resounding message for me in the last few days. Luckily, this blog provides a perfect opportunity for me to say THANK YOU for those things I might over look from day to day... Brace yourself, 'cause it's a lot!

The image this week is the main lesson that I've been mulling over: Mom and I met a lovely woman who had twins several weeks ago. One got to go home, the other is "trapped" in the NICU as our neighbor because she's having trouble eating. I take for granted the fact that at my little girl can take her feeds from a bottle consistently -- and is allowed to eat up to 40 cc's ad lib. I feel let down when she only takes 32 cc's (she only has to eat 30), but my NICU neighbor is praying that her daughter (who weighs twice as much as Amelia) will drink an entire feeding in the thirty minutes they're allotted. 

I take for granted that my baby girl is growing by an ounce a day. Slow and steady... Some of my NICU neighbors are praying that their child grows at all. I have no idea what 1 lb 9 ounces looks like... but some parents do. I have no idea what it's like to fight the NICU battle... and lose. I have no idea what it's like to want a child so badly with every fiber in your being and not be able to have one. These "tough" moments in the NICU we take for granted are the ones some are praying for. 

I take for granted that my three year old boy doesn't ever stop talking. Ever. (Seriously, my family didn't believe me until they came down the last few weeks... Never. Stops. Talking). I teach kids who still struggle to form appropriate sentences and interact with their peers. When Lucas was two,  I prayed that he would learn to form a complete thought. His vocabulary included maybe 20 words. As soon as he started full time at his daycare, his vocabulary doubled... tripled... quadrupled... and he never looked back. The fact that I can hear his voice, laugh at his terrible jokes, and hear him say "I love you" makes it entirely worth it. 

I take for granted that my parents (and siblings) are able and willing to drop what they're doing to drive over 900 miles to be with me during a terribly rough time for our family. Grateful doesn't come close to covering the emotion or level of thankfulness I have for having them in my life to begin with, let alone at my house for Easter / to drive me to and from the hospital / to take care of Lucas / to do my dishes / to cook my favorite meals from my childhood. Life is good when Mom & Dad are around -- and some people are praying to have theirs back in their lives. My family (biological and otherwise) in New York is super important to me, and I take their love for granted sometimes. Love love LOVE them and all that they do for me from such a far distance away.

I take for granted that most of Korey's family lives within a day-trip's-driving distance away. His parents dropped what they were doing to come up when Amelia was born. Many people pray to find in-laws they can deal with... and mine are like a second set of parents. His sister invites us over to let Lucas run around (think: puppy-on-a-farm) and to spend quality time with her kids. His Aunt & Uncle took Lucas the night before our C-section without any question. His grandparents sent cards and prayers and calls... I could not pray for a better family to have married into.

I take for granted the people that I work with (past & present). I left school on a Thursday and by Friday morning they had things planned for and covered that I couldn't have even thought of. My coworkers shuttled Lucas to and from school, kept him entertained during a time of uncertainty for us, bought adorable premie clothes because we had none, and began a meal calendar to help us when Amelia comes home. To say I work with family is an understatement. Many people are praying for a job, let alone one that makes you feel like you are a part of something great and bigger than yourself. 

I take for granted how easily our family was accepted by our new church family. In the last few months we've been made to feel like we've been a part of Blakemore our entire lives... like we've grown up here! Some people, especially at this time of year, are praying to find the Grace that we've been blessed to know. 

I could continue to list the things that I take for granted: My husband (that's for another lesson). My friends from all over the country. My ability to breath. My heart's ability to beat... on it's own... regularly... 

My lesson to my children (that's still taking some getting-used-to) is to often take a step back and realize that the things you go through every day are sometimes the things that someone else is desperately searching for. And when you can combine the two together (the things you have, with the things someone else is longing for) you have the perfect opportunity to provide the Grace you've been given. 

------- A NICU update: we are up to 3 lbs, 10.25 ounces. The doctors took her PulseOx off her foot because they're no longer worried about her oxygen levels. She has her eye exam (already!?) next week. And... I saw a quick glimpse of... (brace yourself) discharge papers attached to her isolet. Whaaaaat!? It's coming.......!