Steve and I took the girls by the NICU last weekend to visit some of the most special people in the world. For 137 days, the NICU was our 2nd home. Our babies were loved there. Steve and I were loved too. And we loved right back.
We will never forget the wonderful people who cared for our very sick, premature babies.
"Aunt" Carole with Alyssa on the day she finally came home (1/6/06). She was with us in the delivery room and became Alyssa's primary nurse. Carole and I formed a very special bond spending most of our days together. 
Aunt Carole with Alyssa (8/17/08) 
Me, Carole, and the girls
Nurse Cathy with Riley (11/24/05). I always loved it when Cathy was taking care of Riley. She appreciated Riley's feisty attitude and always had a way of getting things taken care of. Cathy advocated for us on more than one occassion, whether it was making sure I held Riley for the first time when she was 4 weeks old or getting the girls co-bedded when they were 10 weeks old.
Cathy with Riley (8/17/08)
Cathy showing the girls how to put a micropreemie sized diaper on their beanie babies.
Nurse Christina with Makena (12/5/05). She was 5 days away from coming home in this picture. Christina was one of Makena's primary nurses and was very protective of her.
The girls with Christina (8/17/08)
Before we left, the girls started running up and down the halls of the NICU laughing hysterically. I realized what a special moment that was since 3 years ago, we had no idea what the future would hold for our babies.
41 comments:
I love that you go back and visit, that is so sweet!
Wow - if you responded to all of the comments - you are amazing - I know there were many!!!
Your girls are beautiful - I loved the shirts they wore to preschool! The twins are only 1 - so I have a few years before I may need t-shirts. lol
Seems like you were blessed with wonderful NICU nurses. Our NICU experience was just ok - we did not have the same nurses - that made a huge difference - we did not bond a lot. oh well.
Blessings. I'll be back!
I loved your post and you have a great blog. I love looking a pictures and you have a great way of putting them together to tell as story. I love to learn how other mothers are out there making it from day to day. I hope to read more of your stories. I'm glad I found you!
Awww. They are all miracles. I just love seeing them go back to the NICU every year.
oh casey--what a special trip for mama and her girls!!! i cannot believe they have started preschool! so grown up and gorgeous...love you!
Wow, that was extremely touching. I have never been through anything like that or close, but this reminds me of the bond I felt with the nurse who took care of me after I gave birth & things were fine. She was just so sweet. So, I can only imagine how much deeper yours was with all you went through!!!!
What a sweet thing to do to take them back to the NICU and see the people who took such good care of them. It was so sweet to see them hugging and loving on their nurses. You guys have come so far! Happy 3rd Birthday to your sweet girls.
What a sweet post! I never experienced the NICU, but I still get tears in my eyes when I think about the wonderful nurses from the hospital where I delivered. They helped me so much when I was so overwhelmed those first few hours. Nurses are special people!
Wow. Very Touching! NICU Nurses are angels. I know I could never do their job. I would be weeping all the time. LOL What a special day!
Thanks for stopping by and visiting my "place"!
That is amazing. Look how far they have come in such a short time. I bet those nurses were in heaven seeing the girls all grown up!!
This post gave me such goosebumps! What sweet women those nurses are!
oh my gosh casey, this post gave me some serious goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes. what beautiful miracles your girls are!
Oh my gosh. I've got chills. How did you manage seeing all 3 nurses on the same shift?
Those NICU RN's are so special. We get a chance to revisit ours in a few weeks. We did not have as long of a stay as you but still meet some very special people.
What a remarkable trip.
My nephew was only 1 lb and 1 oz when he was born. He is now 11 and although smart as can be, he is still tiny. only weighs 44 pounds. He is taking growth hormone shots now. I remember being awed by his tiny piece and wondering if he could really pee out of it. the nurse assured me that he could and could even hit targets!! lol
Thanks for the look at the girls and the wonderful nurses that cared for them.
That's a wonderful walk down the memory lane and revisiting it. I bet the nurses were so thrilled to see how much your adorable girls have grown. I'm just curious, Is quilao an Asian or mexican name and is it pronounce kilyao or kilao?
Zen adventures,
My husband is Filipino and our last name rhymes with "meow"
That's so nice that you all go back and visit. I'm so glad the girls are all healthy now. That must have been so hard for you all when they were in NICU.
how touching...i am seriously tearing up! Praise God your babies are running in the NICU halls. They're beautiful little girls just like their mama!
That is so awesome to see the reunion! I often wish I could go back and revisit the nurses who were with me when I delivered my first. They probably wouldn't remember me from anyone, though. It was a pretty uneventful labor. Well, except for his size. He was 10 lbs. 1.5 oz. and 22 1/2 inches. He's 7 now and a total bean pole.
Perhaps it's finally time to delurk and tell you how much I enjoy your blog. I know the miracle of a post NICU visit, and it's so wonderful to see how well your girls are doing.
That sounds like a really remarkable journey. It must have been really nice for the nurses to see your children again.
What a reunion! I am sure those nurses appreciated you bringing the girls back. I can't image how emotional that job must be, especially on days like that. Who would ever guess that those healthy, beautiful girls were ever that small and sick?
Wow, you made me cry...that is so special for both you and the nurses. I cant wait till I can take my little ones to visit their dr and nurses.
Okay, I made it to the second picture before I cried!
I try to take the girls back at least twice a year, but I don't think even that's enough to show how grateful I am for the nurses and doctors there.
i can't wait to do this with my sofia...she was a NICU baby too and the nurses are more than nurses, they are family and friends and support. oh i just loved them all so much. sofie is 7 1/2 months now and i can't wait until she can scream happy screams inteh NICU halls! tfs!
That is a great post! I love the before and now pics! Amazing!
Casey,
I love this post. The then and now pictures are amazing, but my favorite has to be the last one of the girlies running through the hall. My littl cousin was born 3 months early and I remember those months just waiting for her to come home. You think you're in the clear, then you hit another obstacle, but then you over come that one, and it just repeats! I know you know way more than I even do when it come to the waiting, but I remember the day my cousin came home. It was such a relief to have her here! I remember just sitting there and holding her for extremely long periods of time, looking at her and thanking God that she made it. She is four years old now and doing great. What a great post to thank the women who help take care of you babies in those rough times!!! Once again, Casey, your posts amaze me!
That post was so heart warming!!! Sounds like you had some wonderful NICU nurses! It must have been so nice for them to see the girls and see how far they've come!!! I'm sure that's the most rewarding part of their job!
OMG I am bawling!!! That was so special to read!!! I am so glad you guys went in. I haven't had the guts. We didnt spend very long in the NICU and still the smells send me right back to those days.
I am so happy your story has such a happy turn. Those girls are so beautiful.
You have no idea how much I love this post! Working where I do so often we care for people who are so special to us, but we don't get updates about how there are doing. I know those nurses were thrilled!
Its wonderful that your girls can still have a relationship with those caring nurses. The girls must be so special to those nurses too!
Wow, that would give me goosebumps. That is so neat that the nurses are all still there. I love how you were able to do "then and now" pics.
Having Donovan in "Special Care Nursery" for a week really puts a perspective of what goes on in NICU. I cried my eyes out for nurses who took watch over monitors and babies. What a special job they have and a special bond with the babies.
Wow, I am so glad your girls are doing so well, stressfull birth! I am so gald all my kids have been single births. He,he,he! Your blog is really fun to read. I hope you don't mind me stoping in every so often.
Oh. Weep!
So very touching! I bet the nurses LOVED seeing the girls.
How fantastic to keep those relationships with your nurses and for the girls to experience the love and dedication that nurtured them in those fragile first days. Beautiful!
Blessings!
what a sentimental reunion...
Look how far they have come. I am sure it brightened their day (the nurses) to see the girls, and how well they are doing:)..!
I am so glad you had such positive and supportive nurses and doctors!
That is so great that you keep in touch with your nurses. That actually brought tears to my eyes seeing your girls with the nurses that took such great care of them in the NICU. I kept in touch with our nurses for a couple years but it's kind of fallen to the wayside lately. I should give them a call, they were the best!
Awesome post, Casey. You made my eyes well up.
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