A Great Saturday 2/2/13
Chris
Any Saturday that I get to spend all day with my two favorite people is alright with me! Melissa and I slept in a bit today and then headed to the hospital to see our angel. We helped with her hands on time and then I kangarooed her from about 1:30 to 6 p.m. I've said it before, and it's still true: holding this baby is about the best feeling in the world. I just can't get enough of it. As I hold her, I remind myself that I need to remember this; I need to somehow lock it into my memory bank for the future.
The few months that we will have spent in the NICU will end up as such a small segment in the fullness of Hattie's life. That's partly the reason we have this blog. We of course want to update you with Hattie's progress and some very cute photos, but we also want to have this as a journal of sorts that we can look back on one day to remember the special way Hattie entered the world.
A funny thing happened today when a tech came to take Hattie's blood for the Florida infant screening. We had not yet arrived at the hospital, but our nurse Shanna said that this tech was surprised that anyone would name their daughter "Hottie." The other nurses corrected her but not without a laugh! In fact, the nurses all love Hattie's name and often refer to her as "Little Miss Hattie" or "Hattie Harper" in a sing-song voice. We love it!
We took a field trip to Jeremiah's Italian Ice for a treat during shift change. Afterward, we helped with Hattie's evening hands on time. She lost 5 grams today and is down to 1,245 grams. It's nothing to be worried about—all the doctor looks for is an upward trend week to week, not anything on a daily basis.
We prayed with Hattie before heading out to meet Scott and Ali for dinner on their last night in town. It was so hard leaving Hattie after such a great day. She was just so peaceful in her bed and she was wide awake with the one eye we could see looking around. We were thankful to spend time with our good friends who traveled so far to see us and to meet our sweet girl. Melissa and Ali talked on and on about all things baby and I think it was good for them to have the time together.
Melissa and I have been fixated on a song for the past couple of days because it makes us think of Hattie. We've been playing Gungor's "Beautiful Things" over and over in the car. The chorus reads, "You make beautiful things / You make beautiful things out of the dust / You make beautiful things / You make beautiful things out of us." We thank God daily for making our beautiful Hattie. She is such a blessing.