Home away from home

Heather is checking into the Ronald McDonald House this afternoon. It will be her home away from home for the next few weeks. Thank goodness a wonderful place like that exists. To be going through such a terrifying time and to have a safe place so close to her baby to go to at the end of the day is immeasurable.

Heather is doing ok. There are the usual ups and downs from having a baby plus her baby is in NICU. It's all pretty overwhelming.

Emily is doing great. No set major setbacks at this point in time. We are fortunate, Emily really isn't sick...she's just little. She'll grow and thrive and in a year or two she'll just be a normal little girl. Getting from here to there is the challenge.

Staying sane and not going broke will also be a challenge. RMH will be a saving grace for Heather and Mark and the rest of us just need to manage the time we can spend at the hospital. I'm very lucky because she is at a hospital that is only about 10 min from my work. I can actually look out a window and see the hospital. I can go over at lunch and after work. I'll be able to see her every day and still manage my normal day to day life.

Here is a pic of Heather really seeing her baby for the first time. It was taken about 9 hours after birth. She had seen her for a couple of seconds earlier but this was the first time she could touch her and talk to to her. She opened the little door to the incubator and put her hands on her baby and it was like they were one again. Heather has been amazing. I am so proud of her.