Reminiscing...

I have been thinking a lot lately about Mason's first Christmas.  Sometimes I forget, or block out, our time in the NICU.  That was a difficult time, but seriously it is hard for me to recall just how difficult it was.  All of the driving (30 minutes each way at least twice a day), the tubes, the monitors, the alarms, the heel pricks, the blood transfusion, the infection scares, etc.  Just being away from MY baby for 2.5 months...sleeping in seperate cities.

Obviously,  that would be hard ANY time of the year, but Mason was born 2 days before Thanksgiving...so we spent the major holidays and family time sitting by his bed-side in the NICU.  We tried to go on with family/work Christmas parties as if we were not completely exhausted and emotionally drained.  We opened gifts and I managed to put a fake smile on my face.  I was getting only a few hours of sleep a night since I woke up every couple of hours...I had to make sure Mason was fed with the good stuff.  Just everything about that first Christmas was so wrong.  We had one decoration that year...Brady got it at his work white Elephant Christmas. It was a Nutcracker with the year "2008" printed on it.  Funny how some silly little Nutcracker that was supposed to be a funny/gag gift is now treasured in our house as we put it out each year.  It is a reminder!!

Anyway, enough feeling sad about our time in NICU or that first Christmas without Mason being home.  Sometimes I think it is important to reflect on that time and realize how blessed we are and how much our little boy has gone through.

God is good!  Amen!