We are going to list our condo in a few weeks. I have been lacking the motivation and the focus to get our condo show-worthy. Part of me doesn't want to pull our stuff out, looking at everything we have that we don’t use. Part of me doesn't want to run my hands over my chipped dinner dishes or look over my old wrinkled clothes, feeling like I should replace them and feeling wasteful at the same time. But mostly, I don’t want to add more work to my plate – more work that doesn't involve the kids. I want to push the moving boxes aside, grab Jack’s and Jossie’s little hands and head straight to a museum. I don’t want to worry about packing, finding the right house and, frankly, reorienting my life.
I like my city mama life. I have a well-worn path between my condo and my workplace. We have a trusted and loved daily caregiver for the kids. And I love the kids’ schools, pediatricians and classes. I have my grocery stores. I have my shortcuts and my ways. Life is working.
***
Sunday afternoon, our family attended a brunch/art project for current families in the Prentice NICU. We've thanked the nurses and doctors and celebrated with NICU grad families, but this was my and Jeremy's first experience with direct services with current families.
Given my hesitancy for change, this was a good reminder for me. The biggest change of my little life so far has been motherhood, and in the case of being a preemie mom, you’re thrown into the deep end before you even expect it.
Granted – the group who attended the brunch were self-selected – but I was impressed with the handful of mothers I spoke with and their willingness to work through the change they have been given. They were ready to learn, to share with others about their experiences and make Valentine’s Day artwork for their little ones’ pods. One new mom just had her baby the day before! I was only with them for an hour but was reminded of my own changes in my life and how they weren't solved overnight – there was a period of transition and hard work. In respect to the NICU, each day Jossie was there felt like an eternity. And besides the whole leaving my newborn there every day for 22 days, there were also the grody tasks of dealing with insurance, figuring out what to do with work (since I left early) and childcare for Jack. And now it is but a brief memory.
Jossie and Jack are my beautiful rewards of Jeremy's and my hard work. One current NICU mom kindly squeezed my hand and told me that seeing a healthy, lively Jossie “made her day.” (This was on our way out the door – if I had known that sooner, I would have asked Jossie to count to 10 and run backwards to show off her skills.) The NICU receptionists sang the kids’ praises. Two years ago, I couldn't envision today – and I wish I could have.
And so back to that darn stuff in my condo. It will get organized and packed. The toys that stay will be stored in clever ways to hide during showings but to also remain accessible to the kids’ whims. And getting my act together at home and making hard decisions about our move with Jeremy will be part of something bigger. It will allow us to move to a bigger space. To join a new community. To host more family and friends. To create a home for our family. Thinking about the bigger goals of tomorrow makes the finite tasks of today much more manageable.
And that, I suppose, can apply to all levels of our lives. Happy week ahead, my friends.
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Showing posts with label Preemies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preemies. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
Saturday, November 17, 2012
An early Thanksgiving
A million people gathered tonight for the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade down Michigan Avenue, celebrating the start of the holiday season in Chicago.
A couple of blocks east, I was straightening a Thanksgiving-themed paper tablecloth on a table in the nurses' lounge, the parade on the television behind me. My fellow volunteers set up trays of Thanksgiving cookies.
Today is World Prematurity Day, a day to raise awareness of premature birth. As part of the day, I volunteered through the March of Dimes to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the NICU nurses and doctors at Prentice Women's Hospital, where both Jack and Jossie were born. My fellow NICU grad parents and I provided Thanksgiving dishes and decorations to thank the staff for their service.
What a good, good evening. There's probably not a nicer group of people - a roomful of nurses - to make you feel good about life. They were very appreciative of our efforts but in our eyes, we can never do enough to say thank you for taking care of our babies. I had the honor of seeing a few of "our" nurses who cared for Jossie. They loved seeing pictures of her today and hearing how well she is doing.
For anyone who has experienced something tough in their life and that would probably be all of us, I hope you get to experience this type of full-circle moment. Twenty-two months ago today, Jossie was born and it was scary. Twenty-two months later, I'm eating pumpkin pie and enjoying the company of some very, very nice and caring people. That was pretty cool. As I headed through the halls of the NICU to leave, the smells and the sounds so familiar, I felt a little lighter in spite of myself.
Reality hits me in the elevator. I see a family and I know that everything is not okay. A million people two blocks away are enjoying the revelry of the parade, and I know this family is not okay. Their life is their loved one's medical fight right now; the outside world is so foreign.
Life is messy and all over the place - kind of like this post. My wish to you is that the high of your highs is much greater than the low of your lows. Good night, my friends.
A couple of blocks east, I was straightening a Thanksgiving-themed paper tablecloth on a table in the nurses' lounge, the parade on the television behind me. My fellow volunteers set up trays of Thanksgiving cookies.
Today is World Prematurity Day, a day to raise awareness of premature birth. As part of the day, I volunteered through the March of Dimes to host a Thanksgiving dinner for the NICU nurses and doctors at Prentice Women's Hospital, where both Jack and Jossie were born. My fellow NICU grad parents and I provided Thanksgiving dishes and decorations to thank the staff for their service.
What a good, good evening. There's probably not a nicer group of people - a roomful of nurses - to make you feel good about life. They were very appreciative of our efforts but in our eyes, we can never do enough to say thank you for taking care of our babies. I had the honor of seeing a few of "our" nurses who cared for Jossie. They loved seeing pictures of her today and hearing how well she is doing.
For anyone who has experienced something tough in their life and that would probably be all of us, I hope you get to experience this type of full-circle moment. Twenty-two months ago today, Jossie was born and it was scary. Twenty-two months later, I'm eating pumpkin pie and enjoying the company of some very, very nice and caring people. That was pretty cool. As I headed through the halls of the NICU to leave, the smells and the sounds so familiar, I felt a little lighter in spite of myself.
Reality hits me in the elevator. I see a family and I know that everything is not okay. A million people two blocks away are enjoying the revelry of the parade, and I know this family is not okay. Their life is their loved one's medical fight right now; the outside world is so foreign.
Life is messy and all over the place - kind of like this post. My wish to you is that the high of your highs is much greater than the low of your lows. Good night, my friends.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Full circle
Earlier this year, my family and friends participated in the March for Babies walk along Chicago's lakefront. I am not sure how, but this connected me directly to the executive director of the Chicago office of the March of Dimes. I started receiving emails from her and I found myself volunteering to serve on the host committee for a reunion of NICU families, doctors and nurses at Prentice Women's Hospital at Northwestern Memorial.
Today was the reunion. I was there early and chatted with my fellow volunteers. The other mothers and I told our preemie stories in stats - how many weeks gestation, how many weeks we were in the NICU, and how old our children are now. And I realized I was a bonafide member of the family-centered care committee now for the NICU at Prentice, a volunteer opportunity I will surely relish in the coming months.
It's a pretty good day in my book when I can thank and hug the NICU nurses who provided loving care to Jossie. One of our favorites, Juanita, was as excited to see us as we were to see her. She held us up while we were in the NICU - she encouraged me to stay home for my safety during the Chicago blizzard and she was there to discharge Jossie on her last day in the NICU, tightly rolling up blankets to put in Jossie's car seat to keep her snug. She has a set of twins who were born at 34 weeks, so she gets it.
It is no secret that I was pretty sad after Jossie's birth. It was part-baby blues and part-this lack of control of my baby's birth. Perspective and time have allowed me to move on. And I'm so glad I have. I'm so glad to be here, given an opportunity to share my grateful thanks to the doctors and nurses and to lend a helping hand to new NICU families. And my kids are healthy. I feel so fortunate.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Joy
As a preemie mom, there is a tiny part of me that feels like the joy of Jossie's birth was stolen from me. When she took her first breath and made her first cry, I felt hopeless. I felt like I had failed her.
But in that moment of my life, I was never aware of the unexpected, new joys I would feel because of her early birth.
I saw daily the love and gentle care of the NICU nurses and doctors. I was overwhelmed with the support from my family and friends, whom I knew were always there for me but, man, they were REALLY there for me. I experienced Jeremy's and my marriage grow because of this new challenge.
And, practically speaking, spending three weeks in the NICU forced me to stop, sit and enjoy my newborn. If we had been at home, I know me, and I would have been still moving a mile a minute, taking care of Jack, the baby and the home. But the NICU time forced me to sit with my girl and kangaroo care the bejeebers out of her, and I'm grateful for that quiet bonding time.
I'll never forget the tears of joy at Jossie's 5-month check-up at the pediatrician when we learned she was on the growth chart for her actual age. Or watching her as a toddler, "reading" books and crossing her arms over her chubby belly when she gets fed up at Jack.
Today, my family experienced a lot of joy. We participated in our first-ever charity walk - the March for Babies walk. A few of our dearest Chicago friends walked with us, and we were overjoyed with our friends' and family's generosity, helping us to raise more than $1,000 for the March of Dimes. I'm a professional fundraiser, and this is the best money I've ever raised.
I'm thankful for my healthy babies as I saw families walking in memory of the little ones who didn't survive. And I was really impressed with the family who was walking in honor of their little one, born at 25 weeks this past February and thriving. They had their act together!
It was a privilege and honor to participate in today's walk, walking alongside thousands of other March of Dimes supporters. Thank you again for your love and support.
But in that moment of my life, I was never aware of the unexpected, new joys I would feel because of her early birth.
I saw daily the love and gentle care of the NICU nurses and doctors. I was overwhelmed with the support from my family and friends, whom I knew were always there for me but, man, they were REALLY there for me. I experienced Jeremy's and my marriage grow because of this new challenge.
And, practically speaking, spending three weeks in the NICU forced me to stop, sit and enjoy my newborn. If we had been at home, I know me, and I would have been still moving a mile a minute, taking care of Jack, the baby and the home. But the NICU time forced me to sit with my girl and kangaroo care the bejeebers out of her, and I'm grateful for that quiet bonding time.
I'll never forget the tears of joy at Jossie's 5-month check-up at the pediatrician when we learned she was on the growth chart for her actual age. Or watching her as a toddler, "reading" books and crossing her arms over her chubby belly when she gets fed up at Jack.
Today, my family experienced a lot of joy. We participated in our first-ever charity walk - the March for Babies walk. A few of our dearest Chicago friends walked with us, and we were overjoyed with our friends' and family's generosity, helping us to raise more than $1,000 for the March of Dimes. I'm a professional fundraiser, and this is the best money I've ever raised.
I'm thankful for my healthy babies as I saw families walking in memory of the little ones who didn't survive. And I was really impressed with the family who was walking in honor of their little one, born at 25 weeks this past February and thriving. They had their act together!
It was a privilege and honor to participate in today's walk, walking alongside thousands of other March of Dimes supporters. Thank you again for your love and support.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Help us to say thanks
Little ones deserve the best.
We saw that firsthand in the NICU but also already knew it in our hearts. We are so grateful for all of the good medical care Jossie received at the hospital last year as a preemie born at 33 weeks. Jossie′s good health today is the perfect example of how far a preterm baby can go with proper care. Quite honestly, we have erased "preemie" from our everyday lexicon at this point, for which we're grateful.
Please join us in saying thanks by supporting the March of Dimes so that their advocacy, education and research can positively impact the lives of tomorrow′s children and their families. On April 29, our family and friends will be participating in the Chicago March of Dimes walk. Here are two ways you can join us:
1. Walk with us. To sign up, visit our team page. There is no registration fee, and you can sign up your entire family with one log-in name. Set your goal, which will feed into our overall goal of raising $1,000. Bring your kids and let's show them what it's like to be a part of something bigger than us.
2. Support us. Click on the March of Dimes link on the right side of this page and donate to Jack and Jossie's fund. Their personal goal is $500 toward the overall goal of $1,000. As a fundraiser by profession, I know what sells. And cute kids sell.
Thank you for helping us give all babies a healthy start!
The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
We saw that firsthand in the NICU but also already knew it in our hearts. We are so grateful for all of the good medical care Jossie received at the hospital last year as a preemie born at 33 weeks. Jossie′s good health today is the perfect example of how far a preterm baby can go with proper care. Quite honestly, we have erased "preemie" from our everyday lexicon at this point, for which we're grateful.
Please join us in saying thanks by supporting the March of Dimes so that their advocacy, education and research can positively impact the lives of tomorrow′s children and their families. On April 29, our family and friends will be participating in the Chicago March of Dimes walk. Here are two ways you can join us:
1. Walk with us. To sign up, visit our team page. There is no registration fee, and you can sign up your entire family with one log-in name. Set your goal, which will feed into our overall goal of raising $1,000. Bring your kids and let's show them what it's like to be a part of something bigger than us.
2. Support us. Click on the March of Dimes link on the right side of this page and donate to Jack and Jossie's fund. Their personal goal is $500 toward the overall goal of $1,000. As a fundraiser by profession, I know what sells. And cute kids sell.
Thank you for helping us give all babies a healthy start!
The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
World Prematurity Day
Today is the first-ever World Prematurity Day and Jossie's 10-month birthday to boot. A few facts from the March of Dimes:
Thank you!
- 1 in 8 babies are born prematurely.
- Worldwide, 13 million babies are born too early each year.
- Each year, 1 out of every 13 babies will die from being born too early.
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| Jossie was born January 17, weighing 3 lb 6 oz. We were in Prentice's NICU for 22 days. |
Between today and January 17, Jossie's first birthday, we are raising funds for the March of Dimes in honor of our strong girl. Please consider making a gift of $5, $10, $25 or more if you are so inclined, to Jossie's fund.
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| Jossie is 10 months and 18 pounds today. |