125 days later we said good bye to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). We were fortunate to welcome Lila Grace home one day before her due date of November 21, 2006. Adeline followed one month later and was discharged on Christmas day.
Lila Grace's NICU stay was not easy by any means, but was much shorter than Adeline’s, who has had an especially difficult road, including months on a ventilator and heart surgery. However, she declared herself a fighter early on, and we are continually amazed by her will to live. Babies don’t often survive at such a low birth weight but God clearly had other plans for her. It is hard to comprehend how far our girls have come and how strong they had to be in order to do so. Their spirits have always been larger than life.
There are no words that adequately describe the journey we have been on for the last few years. In the beginning there are extreme highs, usually followed by frightening lows. It seems to be evening out these days but we are still working to come to terms with the marks prematurity has left on the girls. It is truly a miracle that both girls are still with us. This journey is far from over. Answers about the girls’ ultimate outcome will not be available for years. We try to take it one day at a time and trust that God is in control. We give thanks for our girls and recognize the many ways they have enriched our lives.
Here is a brief photo journey of the girls' NICU stay.
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