I don't know why I do it but I just can't stop for some reason. I read blogs about other families and my heart breaks for them. Families I don't even know!! I still keep up with Emily's old pod-mate quads from Presby through their blog. They are all doing wonderful and are getting so big. They linked another blog on theirs to a family that delivered their sextuplets at 23 weeks in the Houston area. They have lost 3 of their babies in the past two weeks. They were just too early, too small, and too sick to survive. Their three surviving little girls have such a battle ahead of them. It all makes me think how absolutely blessed we are that Emily is a thriving 7 month old. She left the NICU at 7 weeks old (37 weeks gestation) and really hasn't looked back. I just think about the incredible journey she had so early in her life as I watch her army crawling around on the floor (that's right people, she's on the move) and it is so hard to believe she is the same baby that arrived 10 weeks early and weighed less than 4 pounds. She is truly amazing and life does just get better every day. I don't think I'll ever forget the way I felt when Dr. P told me I had to have a c-section that night. I doubt I'll soon forget how foggy I felt the next morning when I woke up and couldn't see my baby until the epidural came out. Even then, I had to wait to be wheeled down there and I couldn't hold her. Parents of preemies are an unlucky group that share something that nobody else can possibly understand. I was lucky (well, if you want to call it "luck") to have someone to talk to via email when I needed her. Phone and face-to-face conversations were very difficult and emails were often sent in the middle of the night. She was a lifesaver for me (and my husband too) and I love hearing that her daughter is a thriving (and very cute!!) almost 2 year old (?) now. I may not have told you lately but I still really appreciate all the support you offered during that time, Tracy.

It's kind of odd thinking of Emily as a preemie and us as 'preemie parents' because of who she is now. She had a few setbacks during her time in the NICU but not nearly as many as some other children experience. It just boggles my mind that this child started out at 3 pounds 9 ounces:

She is 7 and a half months old. She is SO close to crawling. She laughs, squeals, babbles, eats her veggies (and fruits and cereal too), and loves playing with those feet. She finds her paci in her bed and gets it in her mouth all by herself (so we now keep 2+ in the crib for her) so I think she's going to be one of those 4 year olds that runs around with a pacifier. :-) She is starting to sit up a little but can't last long. She absolutely loves standing up, with help of course. She sleeps through the night, except when she wets through her diaper which happens a LOT. She seems to be doing a lot of stuff just about when Megan was doing it, maybe a month behind, but considering she is technically only 5 months old, I think she's doing stupendous (that's a fancy word for great)!

The best part about my girls' lives right now? They nap at the same time in the afternoon. I get some peace and quiet almost every day. Apparently that means I'll have time to read heartbreaking blogs and reflect on this year and make sappy blog posts ... so I'm off to do laundry and dishes before they wake up and all Hell breaks loose again!