When I think about you, I know that miracles happen. Your daddy and I are so thankful for you. We are thankful for your sweet little toes, chubby cheeks, precious grin, and bright blue eyes. We're thankful for your health, and that we are getting to enjoy you, our son.
You were due in June, but arrived in March. You were an itty bitty baby, and perfect in every way. You spent 53 days in the NICU, and came home for the first time on May 18th. What a joyful day! It was a rough beginning, but since you've come home, we haven't looked back. Being parents to a preemie, we know there will be more doctor appointments (and there have been), the road is a little rougher, and you'll have more hurdles to overcome. But, we'll be by your side, encouraging you and cheering for you the whole way. We are already so proud of you, Luke. You were a fighter and trooper from the beginning. In your short 9 months, you've had to work harder than most people do in their first 10 years. You, my son, are a miracle in every sense of the word.
There is something that I want you to know that is very important. I would not have chosen for you to arrive at 28 weeks, but thankfully God chose that for you. Our prayer for you has always been that God would use you to glorify Him in mighty ways. If your early arrival caused one person to pray and talk to God that hadn't ever spoken to Him (or hadn't prayed in a long time), then it was worth it. We live our life for God, to glorify Him, and help those who don't know Him, have a chance to know Him. Because our life is better with Him. At the beginning of the year, I had composed a post about adding another baby to the family, so I've posted that below. Our hope was that you would have a full-term pregnancy, but God knows best and He used you to make big waves in the very beginning.
Something I don't want to forget is the first time I held you. You were two days old. You were stable, so the nurse said we could do kangaroo care (skin-to-skin). She put you on my chest and you cried for a bit trying to get comfortable between all of the wires. Finally, you settled in. I tried to sing to you, and you would fuss a little. After holding you, I did some reading and found out why. At 28 weeks, when being held, you were listening to my heartbeat, feeling my skin, and smelling me. And that was enough. You didn't need to be bounced, rocked, sung, or talked to. So, for the next couple of weeks, anytime I held you, I would sit perfectly still, and you LOVED it. You would snuggle right in, and I would pray over you. And that was how we began our bonding, Baby Luke. Just the two of us. I was the only one that was allowed to hold you for a while. Being removed from the isolette was stressful, and I was only able to hold you for 15-30 minutes at a time, every other day (in the beginning). By the time we brought you home, we were spending two kangaroo care sessions a day together for about 1 1/2 hours each. Those were precious times for me because it made me feel like your mommy.
There are a million things I love about you, but your smile absolutely melts me. You have this precious grin that lights up your whole face. You have a hearty laugh, and just like your big sister, you get hiccups when you laugh too much. You love to have your fists in your mouth, but you also enjoy your paci. You can roll from your tummy to your back, and you can sit by yourself. You don't mind tummy time, but you don't love it either. If we put you on your stomach, you usually just roll to your back. You have a bit of reflux, but you don't seem to mind it, so we haven't given you medication. We're hoping you'll outgrow it soon.
You think your big sister is the best. thing. ever. Whenever she is around, you watch her and absorb every move she makes. If she talk to you, your face breaks out in a HUGE smile. You love her to pieces. Thankfully, she feels the same way about you. She's a tad bit rough with you sometimes (mostly when rolling you around on the floor), but otherwise you're a lucky boy because she's a gentle big sister. She's so proud to be your big sister, too. She tells people she has a "little brother, Baby Luke".
We ALL love you to pieces, Baby Luke. Your daddy and I can't stop thanking God for you. You are everything we dreamed of and more. We are thrilled to be able to watch you grow and thrive. Keep it up, sweet boy.
All my love and sweet kisses,
Mommy
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