Today we met with Wake County Public Schools for our "transition meeting" - getting ready to transition Jake out of Early Intervention (birth to 3 (on the dot!)) and into special education services. Oh, how I hoped we would never have this meeting. That he would be all "caught up" and we would leave this whole "preemie thing" behind us. But it seems the "preemie thing" is not going to go away. It's part of who Jake is (part of why he is) and part of us. From the March of Dimes events we go to, to the searching for answers for his apraxia, to my realizations that I have far more patience than I ever did before and a far greater tolerance for accepting help from others, this "preemie thing" is a part of us.
Look at the picture above, really look. That's Jake just a few minutes old - that's his hand around my index finger. That's his red skin - already an indication that he will suffer severe jaundice and spend several days under the bilirubin lights. That's an intubation tube down his throat performed in a standard maternity room by an amazing respiratory therapist who insisted that I get to touch my baby before they rushed him down to the NICU. He's one of my heroes, as are so many of the amazing medical professionals at Duke who saved my son. This year, I'm saying thank you to all of them. And just like last year, I'm so very, very grateful.
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1 comment:
My heart still hurts when I see those newborn pictures of Jake. You and Jeff are my heroes!! Love you all!! Gamma B
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