Monday, April 30, 2012

What I need to remember

Need to take a minute to write this down so that I can remember this in the years to come when the tears will flow freely and the tantrums will come quickly.

I remember the hospital when my babies were born.  I couldn't go see them until I was able to get out of bed and into a wheel chair.  Then the nurse took me to see my little babies.  There they were  with so many tubes, and wires.  I couldn't hold them, I couldn't snuggle them, I could do nothing.  My poor babies sedated and intubated.  They could only lie there and let the machines work.  These three fragile infants with scared little spirits who had come to this world before their bodies were ready.
Kira
Preston with his light goggles
Kinsley
Preston
Kira on the lights

I would sit and stare at my babies as the hours past, willing them to get better.  Hoping for the day when I could hold them close.  I remember I would listen to the machines and alarms beeping and the ventilator pumping air into their little lungs.  I could hear the babies in the next  room crying and making noise.  I would look at my little ones and wish they could make noise too.  I would wish they could cry. I knew that if only I could hear them cry, I would know they were strong and healthy.

Kira in her Isolet
Kinsley on the lights
Kira
Kinsley on the vent
Preston on the vent


Today I hear them cry.  They cry and cry and cry.  It makes me smile to hear them because I know they are getting stronger every day.  I think back to those days in the NICU and it makes my heart hurt to remember those first few days.  But if I didn't think about how grateful I am that they can cry, there are days that I might just cry right along with them.


Remembering those early days makes days like this more pleasant.



Saturday, April 21, 2012

A quick note about Kira

Each of the babies has distinct things they do that pull my heart strings and make me love them best. I long ago decided that my favorite of my children was whoever I was holding at the time. All of my sweet children take turns being my favorites all day long, because truly they are all my favorites. However, tonight I had a special moment with Kira, and realized she does something with me the others don't, so I thought I would share.

Kira more than my other children loves the way I smell. If she is fussy or having a hard time falling asleep, she usually just wants to be held. But here is the cute part. Whenever I pick her up she turns her face right into me and smashes her little nose against me. As soon as she can position her little self so her nose is tucked right into my side, she will fall asleep in seconds. Then if I get up or move or startle her in any way, she will smash her face even deeper into my side and breathe really fast in and out, then she will settle in and sleep again. I first noticed this with a little frustration because as she would push her face into my side she would spit out the binkie, like that added plastic kept her from pushing her nose in just far enough. Plus I was so concerned with her smothering that I tried hard to keep her from being so smashed into me. But I have to admit, when I pick her up and she turns her head into me and closes her eyes and breaths deeply, almost like she can breath me right into her little body, I admit, it melts my heart, and for that moment when we are all alone and she is my favorite. She gets to enjoy my favoritism until someone else needs me, I put her down and the moment I'm holding another little body, that child is my favorite.