Why did I choose to write today? Today is World Prematurity Day. From the March of Dimes website: Honor the more than 1 million babies worldwide who died this year because they were born too soon, and the 14 million more who struggle to survive. November 17 is World Prematurity Day and when we focus everyone’s attention on the serious problem of premature birth. Unfortunately, Ohio scores a "C" in the 2012 Premature Birth Report Card, which actually lines up with the national average. I suppose Poppy and Spyder count as statistics in that assessment.
Poppy will be 10 months old next week. She crawls around the house chasing the dogs, climbs stairs, and even balances when she lets go of the couch she's clinging to. It won't be long before she's walking. She eats all sorts of fun foods like squash, papaya, and her favorite new treat, spaghetti, all of which are best enjoyed by hand, not spoon! She has a one-word answer to everything - "ggguh!" We have whole conversations with this one, expressive syllable.
She is so healthy. At her last check-up, the doctor couldn't believe she was the same fragile girl that she'd gently examined months before. "I'd never pick her out of a group as being a preemie with a low birth weight."
It is so hard to believe that 9 months ago she was hooked to monitors, feeding tubes, and blood pressure cuffs. Brad and I traveled every day to spend as much time as we could learning how to be parents in the most anxious of settings. We watched other babies come in, some with very long stays ahead of them, and others celebrate NICU graduation day by rolling out through those magic security doors.
Then we finally had our day. We brought Poppy home on February 18th in her brown and pink winter coat, snuggled what appeared to be a giant car seat. It wasn't long after that homecoming that I came to realize the absolute life-saving gifts that the doctors and nurses at Grant have. They got my little girl healthy and strong and prepared her to take on the world.
And, oh, how she has...
Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the caregivers, nurses, doctors, social workers, volunteers, researchers and so many more extraordinary people who devote themselves to these fragile babies.
