Twenty-Five Random Thoughts

1. Eight pound babies look huge when they started out at little more than 2 pounds.
2. Everyone has a story. Whether it’s a friend, or a cousin’s co-worker, or a co-worker’s mother’s bowling partner’s daughter, everyone knows someone who has had a preemie. Every story ends with, “(S)he’s now the tallest and the smartest in the class!“
3. The birth of a baby, preemie or not, is certain to put a ton of stress on even the healthiest of marriages. Even Don and I—who like to saunter around like we’re the King and Queen of Awesome Relationships—can’t take our relationship for granted while we navigate the NICU.
4. BC Women’s is the only hospital in Canada to supply donor milk, and Nyana was lucky enough to benefit from it for her first three weeks of life. It’s also worthy to note that our NICU is the best in the country, and is part of BC Women’s hospital, not BC Children’s. If you make a financial donation to BC Children’s, the NICU won’t see a penny of it.
5. I know all the words to way too many songs. Nyana very much appreciates this.
6. One latté and one London Fog every day equals a great amount of money that will soon need to be spent on diapers.
7. Don and I are blessed to have amazing people in our lives. The past months have been a real eye-opener as to who true friends really are.
8. Hospitals are incredibly wasteful places. It makes me sad to see the amount of recyclable—or worse, reusable!—crap thrown in the garbage.
9. Watching your own parent become a grandparent again is awesome.
10. The people who dedicate their lives to fixing my baby are awesome.
11. Skype is awesome.
12. Don and I get to appreciate a million things about our daughter in a way that many parents never will. The three of us have fought the battle of a lifetime together already, and she’s never even smelled the outdoors.
13. Apparently, patience is a virtue.
14. The collective power of hundreds of people all wanting the same thing is outstanding. Call it the power of prayer, of positive energy, call it what you will, but when Nyana’s army rallies together, things happen. She feels your love.
15. Formula puke stinks (and stains!).
16. Subway sandwiches are tolerable for a maximum of two (2) meal replacements per week. If cooking is not compatible with the current schedule, Nando’s Chicken, White Spot, Thai Away Home and Downtown Sushi Bar are excellent alternatives to Subway.
17. There will always be people in your life who want to rain on your parade. Nothing saying you have to let them.
18. Room air is 21% oxygen.
19. A three-month old baby doesn’t need to live within our walls to produce an insane amount of laundry.
20. Don and I are stronger—as both a twosome and as individuals—than either of us ever gave ourselves credit for.
21. I laugh now, but three months ago I didn’t know the definition of the word “intubate”. CPAP? Blood gas? Dexamethawhat??
22. “Build-A-Bear” is a perfectly acceptable place to shop for outfits for special occasions.
23. Christmas in the NICU is a really magical, special experience. I wouldn’t wish for anyone to have to experience it, but I’m very grateful to have experienced it myself.
24. I’m also very grateful to be Canadian and to have universal health care. I don’t even want to think about what this would cost us if we lived across the border.
25. Life is what you make of it. Save for a few “woe is me” moments, Don and I have done the best we can to turn every moment of our NICU journey into a joyous occasion.