I'm excited!

So I got Rylee's invite to the annual NICU/3N Reunion! I'm super excited!!! Not only is it on a Saturday that by the grace of God I dont already have something scheduled, but it's also at the zoo. I've been debating on purchasing a zoo membership this year, so I will be able to see if Rylee's reaction to the zoo. She is going to get her very 1st reunion t-shirt along with Josh & I. It's exciting stuff! I can't wait until the doctors & nurses see her. I'm especially excited to see a couple of nurses that were very special to me. All the nurses were good, but there were a couple that I connected with, & I really missed seeing them as we were transferred from nursery to nursery. I'm kinda excited to see the doctors too. Dr Deweiss was probably my fav, so I can't wait for him to see what Rylee had accomplished. I remember him telling me, during morning rounds, that he has planned to have Rylee completely off the Nitric by the end of the day. And then he looked at me & said, "They all think I'm crazy, but I know what this little girl can do. She's tough. A fighter. I know that she has it in her, & I'm going to push her." That's the moment that I knew I would be bringing Rylee home. I never told anyone that. I just kept asking for prayer & praying myself, but Dr. Deweiss gave me something that no other doctor had given me, hope. See, the doctors in the  Kosair NICU are surrounded by death & disappointment, & even though they are the best in their fields, the fact remains that the cannot save every baby. There were times that I went into visit Rylee (I spent 12-16hrs a day for 26 days in the NICU) & the bed that used to be occupied was empty. Those were somber moments. Sometimes I worked up the courage to ask the nurses where the baby was, & sometimes their response was a transfer...and sometimes it wasn't. Well, now that I'm completely depressed, the point of that rabbit trial was to make the point that most doctors know that they cant give parents a false sense of hope. Facts & figures are usually the only answers that they give, but, that day, Dr Dewiess gave me more that just the facts & I knew that was an answer to my prayers.

Speaking of prayers, I've been reading this new devotional based on the Love Dare. It's a couples devo & I really like it! There are 365 short devotions that are intended to teach how to give & receive love. There are some corresponding quotes, passages & challenges. Josh seems to like it too, so for that it gets an A+ in my book!

This past week Rylee got a runny nose & dry cough. I had to take her (smiling) to the doctor. She has VERY dry skin, & sometimes it rashes. When I took her to the doctor, they expressed concern for Strep, based on her cough & bright red rash. It turns out that my baby just has allergies, we think. I will be looking into testing very soon. My title is "I'm excited" & it's bc, despite a slight sleep regression during the beginning of her "feel bads" Rylee is back on track! I'm excited to know that even though there is an occasional hiccup in her sleep patterns, the training I worked so diligently on, was a success! Yay for sleep, bc that is probably the best thing for her when she is feeling bad.

Something I am NOT excited about: I sliced my finger open today. I'm definitely not kitchen/cooking savvy, but I do make 90% of Rylee's food. It's so easy, & I just really enjoy doing it. Anyway, I was slicing & de-pitting a plum, & I sliced the crap out of my finger. To make matters worse, we have CUTCO knives & they are super sharp. I'm really fortunate that I did not my cut off my entire finger tip.

And finally, I am excited.....for BED! Night Night :)