Reflecting

62 days.

That's how long we were at the NICU.

Every NICU parent knows exactly how many days their baby was in the hospital.

We know how blessed we were to have a baby in the NICU that was really there just to grow and get strong. There were some sick--really sick--babies that we came across. We often wonder how Jade's tummy is doing; if Brody's heart has gotten better; if Emily, the lone triplet, has started to eat on her own and been reunited with her other two sisters who had gone home long before. We look forward to seeing them and the doctors and nurses at the party the hospital hosts every summer for "NICU graduates."

We were so blessed to have nice weather the whole time Eva was in the hospital. The snow started falling the day after we got home with Eva and we had several spring storms after that. Someone was definitely watching out for us!

We were so blessed to have many of your phone calls and emails and comments on the blog during that crazy time. We weren't always so good about returning messages or accepting offers of help, but know you understand that sometimes we weren't sure if we were coming or going. We are so thankful, also, for those of you who helped us pass some of the hours in the NICU. And we truly appreciated knowing there were so many of you out there praying for us, and who continue to do so!

We've been home almost 2 months now and have been thinking about how blessed we are to have gone through this journey. Blessed? Yes. We appreciate things that we might not have otherwise. It is something we could have never imagined. There are a couple of lines from "The Things We've Handed Down" that seem to resonante more these days:


Don't know why you chose us
Were you watching from above
Is there someone there that knows us
Said we'd give you all our love


Through all of the ups and downs, the worrying, the wondering, the tears and the triumphs, we are reminded of something one of our special visitors at the hospital told me -- God knows exactly which babies to send to which parents. We are truly blessed with our Eva Grace.