NICU Reunion

Today we raced home from Boise to be able to attend the NICU reunion.  The reunion is for graduates of the LDS Hospital NICU and the new IMC NICU.  Last year we didn't attend the reunion because Lucy had only been home for a couple of months and we didn't want to risk her being around so many kids yet.  But this year we had kind of been counting down to go and visit friends  and graduates from our NICU days.  We were so happy to see two of Lucy's three primary nurses.  It is so amazing to think how important these nurses were (and still) are to our lives.  Every day for 2 1/2 months we would walk into the NICU and be comforted to know who Lucy was with.  These women helped me get comfortable picking up my own daughter from her isolette and shared tears and laughter with us for many days.  The reunion was such a happy event.  We saw kids of all ages running and playing and just being normal kids.  It's so nice to see so much success and happiness (and loudness :)) in one room!  There were many other nurses, therapists and other staff we were happy to see.  After having such a long NICU stay we pretty much got acquainted with everyone at one time or another.  

Also, we were lucky enough to see two of Lucy's other podmates, Molly and Jackson.  Molly was born two days after Lucy and they spent a lot of their NICU time in the same pod side by side.  They shared Natasha as a primary nurse and Molly's mom Leslie and I became good friends in the NICU and still keep in touch.  Jackson was born almost two months before Lucy and they were in the same pod for many weeks too.  Jackson's parents are very sweet and we spent many Wednesday evenings chatting with them after the parent support meetings.  It was so fun to see these three kids together who have come so far and grown so much and see such looks of happiness on all of the parents faces.  

Everyone who knows me knows how I can talk about the NICU experience for hours.  It was so awful and scary in some ways but still so empowering and life changing in others.  I became a different person from that experience and it was so heartwarming to come full circle tonight.  Lucy didn't look so tiny tonight and everyone commented on what a BIG girl she has become.  They still could see the feistiness in her that they saw at just over a pound and the hugs and smiles made me realize this is a reunion we have to attend every year.

Lucy with her primary nurse Natasha.  Natasha can be blamed for starting my bow obsession with Lucy.  Whenever she had Lucy she would pull out Lucy's secret bow collection and most days would have her sporting "double bows"!  We love you Natasha!

Lucy's nurse Donna is such a sweet lady.  She would leave care notes for Lucy (for other nurses to know what Lucy liked (and didn't like - always the little diva)) and would call her the little "championette"!

Lucy and Molly - the little podmates reunited!  I can't even believe how big Molly is now.  She was bigger than Lucy to begin with but they were both 30 weekers.

NICU grads - class of 2007!  Molly (with mom Leslie), the bug (pretending to be shy) and me, cute Jackson (with mom Sarah)