Today:

People close to us know what last year was like. Joyous, because Daniel arrived, but then scary, as we were forced to navigate the NICU, and Daniel’s prognosis was not clear. We got him home after a week. Now, for some parents, getting the baby home after just six days would have been a dream. We saw a lot of sick children up in that unit. Daniel’s needs were critical, but with the exception of a couple of days mid-week, there always seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel. But those two days. Again, We’re very lucky, but I think those days were the hardest of my life. Hard, because all we could to was stand by. We prayed. We hoped. It was difficult reading what the staff were telling us, but Cheri and I were perceptive enough to see that we weren’t being given the full picture of how bad things could have been. It wasn’t evident anyone could really say. So we all pressed on. I’m usually composed, but that Wednesday was particularly hard.

Finally, we were given the green light to go home. I credit the nurse manager in Bay 5 with giving us that. She assured the MDs we’d be responsible enough to bring Daniel in should he need any help. We were so grateful. We ran into her months later at a restaurant, and she remembered us and asked how Daniel was doing.

Now, he’s one year old, and he’s flying.