Moving Day

Well, our NICU days are over. Yesterday about noon we learned that a room had opened up down in the ISCU that was big enough for all three of the "Miles Triplets", and so the move was on. Our little boys spent two short weeks in the NICU...much less than we expected and so we feel extremely thankful for our good fortune. I must admit that it was hard to leave though...the NICU is a very unique place that few people experience first hand...and its a place I hope to never forget.

This is a place where the joy of seeing your precious little baby is often jarred by the grim reality that you are not in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a holiday. Parents from all walks of life follow their tiny offspring into the shelter of this place...some of us leave with joy, others emptyhanded and wondering why. I have met many people. Most of them are trying to be as positive as they can, but their eyes tell a different story. "We're having a better day..." is sort of how the conversation tends to go. You try not to ask difficult questions. The truth is...we don't have the answers. A good day can turn bad within a few hours. And for those with 1 1/2 lb babies that are clinging to their little lives by a thread...every day can be precious.

Baby Conner has had some rough days. His parents keep vigil by his bedside...tears often streaming down his mothers face. His little body is hard to even see under the tubes and lines that help him breath and feed. He was born at 25 wks and has had some setbacks. The road will be hard.
Little Baby Isias never got to meet his baby twin brother. They were delivered at 27 weeks and only Isias survived. He is tiny also. But his father desperately wants him to come home some day. He has three beautiful big sisters that love their tiny little brother. But they should have two.
Baby Zachery is also tiny. Born at 24 weeks, on the edge of viability, his parents were completely unprepared for having a baby so soon. He still thinks breathing is optional...so the ventilator keeps him alive. His little heart hadn't had time to completely develop, so he has a heart murmur that is slowly closing. His dad is a Navy man. He will go serve his country. His heart will be here.

I am a bit of a wreck. I am blessed. My boys will go home. They will play in the sunshine, swim in the lake. I will hold them tightly and kiss their foreheads while they sleep. I will try to be a better dad, firm and strong. But I don't necessarily deserve it. I am just one of the fortunate ones. Most of us are.