I don't really write about Millie being a preemie much anymore. The truth is it doesn't consume my thoughts like it once did. I love that experience, but I've kind of moved on. Thankfully she has very few daily reminders of her miraculous beginning. Can I blame the constant whining on that?
When we're meeting people for the first time it occasionally comes up. Sometimes I refer to her riding the mini-bus to preschool which is only a privileged given to the "special needs" children. Other times we talk about her glasses and why she has them at such a young age. Most of the time these conversations don't go far. Most people just nod in acceptance and ask how long we've lived here or how old Louis is.
Today I met an incredible neighbor on the playground. She asked a few questions about Millie and then shared with me the story of her daughter, Rachel. She was born just a little bit early which turned out to be a good thing. She appeared completely healthy, but the neonatologist noticed something unusual and figured out she had a heart condition. She had surgery at 6 months old to correct her condition and was given at 98% chance of survival from the surgery. She passed just days after the surgery.
I couldn't help but flip back to Millie as a tiny baby. I couldn't imagine knowing her for 6 blissful months and then her being gone. It reminded me of that terrible night in the NICU where we witnessed a baby pass away right outside of Millie's room. It was too much to handle. I actually teared up a little as she was telling me the story, about 3 minutes after meeting her for the first time.
She went on to share with me a little bit more about her. She has a son going into 2nd (there at the playground) who she adopted miraculously after 7 years of infertility. I was just blown away by how quickly I learned about this sweet woman. I can attribute that all to having Millie miraculously. It was a blessing then, and the experience still blesses me today. It could have possibly taken me years to learn so much about a neighbor that I might run into once a year on the playground.
I am so thankful for her birth, her 135 days in the NICU, and especially every day since. Isn't she beautiful?
What a beautiful little miracle!! I don't think about Caleb's prematurity much, either, but that's mostly because the serious problems we're dealing with don't have anything to do with it. And truthfully, those NICU days were a wonderful time for us. I kinda miss it!
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