looking back

I have realized that looking back in our time in the NICU that we were given something parents that don't go through the NICU aren't given (aside from a larger hospital bill), we brought home a routined/scheduled newborn.  I have witnessed friends both in the my real life (those I text with and see on a regular basis) and those in the facebook world (I see their status updates) as they struggle to figure out a routine/schedule for themselves and their newborn.  I quickly realized what our time in the NICU gave us (aside from a thriving newborn), a wonderful wonderful thing of a routined/scheduled newborn.  That my friends cannot be put on any type of registry.  Recently a close friend and her husband have embarked on the journey of adoption and their son Eli is requiring a pretty long stay in the NICU.  I offered them advice and support and left them with my lasted discovery and that was keep Eli on the NICU schedule, those nurses and doctors have accomplished one of the hardest things new parents try to figure out, don't mess with their hardwork.  Instead embrace it and thank them dearly and enjoy knowing that he will need changed and feed every 3hrs and then eventually every 4 and so on.


Let's walk back back down memory lane of Ian's 1st day of life: