what a long week

This week has been so very long.  Perhaps because it actually seemed to start a couple of weeks ago when we drove to California on Christmas and found a sick baby boy with his worried mama checking into the hospital.  After a couple of days, with much relief, they came home.  But it was a somewhat chaotic holiday trip that included a quick day-long drive back accompanied by much concern about the soon-to-be born new baby boy.  And that long drive ended with a phone call in the middle of the night that seemed to me, awakened ever so rudely from my soundly sleeping state, to be a call from a hysterical daughter-in-law in the midst of delivery, but was actually a prank/scam-type call that was totally disturbing. 

This long week included several more days of anxious waiting for the new boy, interrupted by our return to work, which obviously interferes with the more important things of life like napping and lazing and waiting and such.  And then came the day designated as the birth day of the boy.  Tuesday.  Which seems so so so long ago.  The waiting through the day, the emotionally draining delivery, and then--then the days since Tuesday during which we've watched and waited and hoped and felt elevated and then helpless, and then yesterday.  Yesterday, the boy and his big tiny body suddenly figured out breathing rates and oxygen saturation and glucose levels and temperatures, and eating.  My oh my, but he understands eating.

And then last night Stu sent me this picture that probably doesn't represent anything spectacular to most people, but to those who have been living through this very long week, it is very significant.  You see, the boy is with his mother in her room, out of the NICU.  First time out of the nursery.  Untethered.  Such relief.

And boy oh boy am I tired.  I knew this week was wearing me down, but this morning I realized I must be really tired because I was ready to cry over the paper cut on my finger and the zit on my upper lip. 

Babies.  So grateful for healthy babies.

Now let's all go take a nap.