Against All Odds: From NICU to Buying His First Car

I don’t even know where to start with all of my emotions. I’m beyond proud of the amazing young man my son, TJ has become. He has overcome so many struggles and obstacles to get where he is today.  I brought TJ home from the hospital 27 years ago. He was 4 1/2 months old and finally big and strong enough to leave the NICU. He was born at 25 weeks and just under two pounds. He had a tracheostomy placed at 3 1/2 months to wean off the ventilator,…

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My Little Miracle Baby

I blinked. I closed my eyes for that microscopic second and you grew. Everyday when I watch you float through these halls, a whisper in my heart still sees you as that fragile, tiny soul weighing just a pound coming into this world. I have to pinch myself back to reality watching you giggle so beautifully these days, as my body still tenses, remembering every sound from the ever-chiming hospital monitors. I’ll never forget that warning sound. It’s woven into my being. I look at you, my beautiful boy, and…

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The Hard Fought Miracle

There I was, alone in the hospital, being monitored at 33 weeks pregnant with my unborn son. Nevermind that my family was states away and Shane, my husband, was hours away just finishing his overnight shift. My phone rang as the doctor entered my room. Shane stayed on the phone listening as the doctor explained our current situation. At the highest dosage my high blood pressure still wasn’t regulated and my migraine seemed to be going nowhere either. It was time to induce. Still alone in my hospital room, Shane…

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A Life of Gratitude

It takes a lot of practice and work to live a life of gratitude. It’s sitting in your darkest hours and deciding to be grateful for the experience. My husband and I decided at the beginning of our marriage that we would live a life of gratitude. There have been some hard days where we simply talked about being grateful for breathing. There have been crazy days where we were grateful for silence. November is the month where we are the most grateful. We are grateful for the March of…

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A Letter to my Former Self, the NICU Mom

Hey Lady! It’s me…You! Weird I know, but listen up Buttercup because I have some important things to tell you. You’re leaving the NICU today after the longest 143 days of your life, but you already know this might not be the end of the ‘hospital life,’ and you’re right. I’m going to let you in on a little secret though…Carter will be physically okay! You’ll have some bumps in the road but nothing as major as the surgeries he endured in the NICU. I promise. You’ll find the perfect…

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