Day 5 -- One Day at a Time

We both woke up this morning feeling pretty good. This chair I'm sleeping on isn't the best, but I get a decent night's sleep. I woke up sleepy and with a stuffy nose, but all the little things I might complain about are so petty. I'm not going to waste my breath. I'm not the one on bed-rest 24-hours-a-day.

This is day five in the hospital, and our little girl is now 24 weeks and 2 days along. One more day in the womb is worth one week in NICU, they say.

The flowers mom and dad sent us.

I thought that I had things together pretty well until yesterday. Mom and dad sent flowers, which was such a kind gesture for them. They still haven't been here to visit, but that's only because I asked them not to come. If I had anything to say about it, I'd hold off on having visitors until she's off the monitors and able to sit up better. They want to come in, though. Also, Emily's work sent cupcakes and a card signed by lots of her co-workers. I saw a bunch of names on the card that I recognized. People she's talked about often the last few years. Both the flowers and the cupcakes made me tear up a little, but not until I was by myself. This is probably my big downfall, trying to keep my emotions in check, not letting on if I get upset.

We had a couple of visitors stop by yesterday, too. Emily's college friend Jessica brought in her two adorable kids. Jessica, who's visiting from the Chicago area, had a great conversation with Emily, distracting her and keeping her mind off of things. Em had received a blood transfusion yesterday morning and the doctor had put her back on the magnesium. She was so groggy and out of it, and when she was awake, she needed something to occupy her mind. Sandy Spector also came by the room around lunchtime, giving us another great conversation.

Emily made a comment earlier today that made me think about my own day-to-day habits. She said something along the lines of never taking a free moment for granted ever again. To me, it got me thinking about all the times when Brody has come up to me while I'm reading my school books, watching television, or doing something else at the moment. He wants me to play trains with him or put together his puzzles or read his books to him. I'm good about dropping everything and enjoying some quality time with my boy -- most of the time -- but it just makes me realize even more how little time we have before he grows beyond this phase. Emily may have been meaning something about getting up and cleaning house or doing some odd chores with her comment, but this is where my train of thought went. She's always been great about being a mother and doing what's best for Brody. The secret is that I think she does better at her parenting role than I do with mine.

It's unfortunate that it's this hospital stay that has made us realize this kind of stuff, but if there needs to be a positive, this is a good one. I need to keep note of what little things I realize each day -- take time to jot something down every day. If I compile a list, one day at a time, and make sure I revisit that list down the road, who knows how much better off I'll be, and who knows how much better life will be for my family.