Thanks by the Letters: J

It's funny that today is "J" because I'm thinking of my friend Jamie, and she's at the top of my thankful list today as well.

Jamie:

She was one of my first calls, because I knew she'd been there. Jamie had her twin girls early, and her Ella spent almost 6 months in the NICU at Children's so she had lots of NICU experience and advice. Her help, became invaluable and so did her coffee breaks! She would bring me chai, in the middle of the night. Sit with me in the NICU for hours on end and just watch Max sleep and breathe and she'd let me vent my frustration and my sadness and all of it and know that it was okay. She understood this was the long haul. She offered to help in anyway possible, and she meant it. She took Ella in for days at at a time, because Ella kept insisting she was "too old" to go to the babysitter. Jamie would take her swimming, to bible school and to the movies with her 4 girls. She even took Ella to the dentist! Ella felt right at home. She had sleepovers with Miss Jamie and she hated it when I would come to pick her up. I never worried about her when she was with Jamie. Also, as a hospital social worker, she knew the ins-and-outs and helped me navigate all the politics, and be the best advocate I could for Max. The Mommy Mafia is deep and strong. I'm so blessed to have Jamie as one of my mommy friends!


Jobs:

I'm thankful that Troy has one and that they were so understanding during our 4 months with Max in the NICU. I'm thankful that they cared enough for us and our family that they let him take the time off we needed in those first two weeks, that they let him dash out of there at a moment's notice while things remained critical for all those months, that they let him stay in town... within 20 minutes of the hospital, and that they even hired a lawn service to cut our grass and weeds every week, so Troy could maximize his time at the hospital and with our family, when he was done with work for the day.

I'm also, grateful that I don't have a full-time job right now. I could devote my time to Max. Not worry about taking vacation or sick days, not worry about how to juggle yet another thing. God does always have a plan. It was nice to see how my unemployment worked out to be a blessing in disguise!

Jenn:

Nurse Jenn was a hit with us from the early days in the NICU. She helped both Troy and I. She was with Max just after his heart surgery and because of a problem with his isolette, she was the first to let me "sort of" hold Max. His bed was making a nasty burning smell and Jenn decided she wasn't taking any chances, we'd move him to another bed. That's no small task with all the preheating that has to be done, the programming, and then moving all the cords, cables, tubes and a baby, who doesn't really get to be touched much at all. Jenn had everything taken care of and when it was time to move Max, she lifted him up and laid him in my hands.

It lasted for probably 3 minutes, while all the technology was switched over from one bed to another. I was able to pull him close to me, feel the tiny frailness of his body, and kiss him. For the first time. My lips touched his head and I could smell him, feel his hair, and for the first time, I knew I would never be able to let him go.

It had been an agonizing week. And even though that time to touch and bond with Max was so quick, it was the first bond I was able to make with him. I will never forget those first moments, with him in my hands.

Jenn was also with us the day Max developed a staph infection in his incision and she caught it so quickly. She kept things from being much, much worse. She was there when we received Max's donor milk. Jenn introduced us to Nicole and Shannon. She let us talk, and cry and grieve together.

Jenn gets it, because like so many others, she is a NICU mommy too. Her son Jameson was a NICU baby and so we share the joys and setback of our boys, even now. We are blessed to have had Jenn as one of Max's primary nurses and our friend.