Josh and I have been overwhelmed with the way that people have lavished love and support on us in the last few weeks -- I am pretty sure Phoenix is the most popular little girl on the the planet. People that we don't know that well (or don't know at all) have come out of the woodworks to share their preemie stories, to give Nixie little gifts and to shower her in prayer. It blows my mind to see the way that Christ has leveraged his body, the church, on Phoenix's behalf. Her tiny little body is being cared for in such a huge way, and we are so thankful!
Yesterday was my baby shower. I will be completely honest with you -- I have cried more than once thinking about going to her shower. I had obviously expected to still be pregnant at this point, and the idea of going without her seemed sad and ... well, kind of awkward. I had imagined getting to go pick out a cute little maternity outfit and having people dote on my adorable baby belly and all the of fun little things that go with a baby shower. I never imagined that those things would matter to me, or that I would have to mourn just another way that Nixie's birth deviated from the norm.
But you know that amazing, Body-of-Christ kind of love I mentioned? I got a heaping helping yesterday at my shower. I have such wonderful friends who channeled their inner Martha Stewart and threw the most beautiful party; as soon as I got there, I was asking if I could take the decorations home. There were cupcakes, loose leaf tea, lots of tiny little clothes, sweet cards, lots of laughter, some ridiculous games, finger sandwiches and all kinds of baby goods -- it was perfect. There was none of the weirdness I had feared ... only lovin'. And, just to close the deal on how awesome my friends are, the shower concluded with everyone praying over me and my girl.
The only bummer? Phoenix didn't get all the hugs and kisses that I know she would have received had she been there in person. But, don't worry ... I gave her enough love for everybody when I went to hold her before the shower. We had such an amazing time together -- she kept scootching herself to the side of my chest so that we could look at each other, and I held her for an hour and a half. Josh and I make beautiful babies ... just so you know.
Here is a quick update:
- Her umbilical stump is gone! And, no, I didn't pick it off.
- We put a onesie on her yesterday ... no more vests for my stylish little lady.
- She graduated from wet gauze to real baby wipes. Apparently the hospital has a policy against baby wipes until they reach a certain weight. Even the little milestones are fun.
- She is up to 3 lbs, 6.2 oz. She is eating like a champ, and consumes almost a full ounce at each meal!
I gave her a bath last night for the first time (pictures to come) ... she kind of looks like a little frog because of her skinny legs, but she sure felt like a slippery amphibian when I was trying to wash her up. It is so fun when Josh and I get to take part in her care.
And, don't worry, Josh got A LOT of kangaroo time in last night. We cycled his mom, sister, and sister-in-law through to see her, so he ended up holding Phoenix for almost two hours. Lucky dog.
Thanks for you love and prayers!
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI don't believe we've ever met, but I know Josh. We worked together in the PAC at IWU during my last year there. Also, my sister (Kristina) married Josh Myers (Kevin Myers' son). I just wanted to let you know that I just now found your blog and I'm all caught up. I'm sorry I didn't get to it sooner as I would have loved to help pray you through some trials you've already pushed through. I will be praying for those in the future.
I know prayer is important because my wife Abby and I have been in the NICU. We had twins in January 2009 that were born at 27 weeks at 1 lb 9 oz and 1 lb 12 oz. I really believe that if it weren't for the prayers of many that our little girls would not be what they are today. We do still have issues as a result of their prematurity (physical, speech, and growth delays), but they are so happy and full of life that I don't often think about it. We are told that they'll catch up when it comes to speech and their physical abilities (they'll probably never see 5' tall but we don't mind that... my sister Kristina isn't even 5' tall). Ours were diagnosed with chronic lung disease and we have an appointment next week with a pulmonologist to see about asthma (but ours were on the vent for about 2 weeks).
All of the above to say that I know what you guys are going through because I've ridden the roller coaster that is the NICU. I doubt many of our girl's issues will be Nixie's issues because ours were on the vent longer and born smaller. If anything above does become familiar and you want a glimpse into how things may look in the future I'd be happy to answer any questions that come up.
Please continue to post as specific requests as possible when it comes time to pray for something. I found that when I posted a specific prayer request that Jesus would almost always answer it. There is no doubt that prayer is a mighty powerful tool.
Congrats on your beautiful baby girl! I look forward to watching Nixie grow and seeing pictures of her at home with her parents.