….but by the grace of God we picked her up on the second floor, in the NICU, from the hospital late yesterday afternoon.
Around 7 pm, she was discharged from the hospital to go home with Ryan and I.
I sat in a wheelchair, holding her as they wheeled us down to that car we bought this summer, just for her arrival.
I stared at her beautiful face and little fingers the whole stroll down.
….but by the Grace of God
I wondered how we got so lucky?
I remembered…. but by the grace of God.
The LORD said to him: “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. – 1 Kings 9:2-4
It will be a long time before I share any pictures of her here (for legal reasons) or information about her, but this I share today….
We thought we were waiting for a 1-2 year old. She’s only 2 months.
She is a fighter, born at just 26 weeks.
We thought the process would be much different, but here we are, only about 36 hours after the call came to us.
I barely slept last night.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
She is nothing of what I was planning, expecting and had seen in visions.
But she is absolutely, 100% perfect.
I fell in love with her immediately, and each moment that passes since I first laid eyes on her, I fall more.
We feel more blessed today than I can ever explain.
Maybe because we held on to hope, or simply that we believed.
Our First Night
Last night, during every single feeding (oh my gosh, no one told me it would be every 3 hours, on the hour!) she tooted and grunted and I just knew her little baby tummy was hurting her.
But I smiled; my heart melted….
Our baby has arrived!
p.s. I know NOTHING about “preemies.” Friends….help me! Great resources? Things I need to buy today? Things I should know? Nannies who want to move in with us?! Ha. Just kidding. Maybe.
Xox,
SKH
p.s.s. I know I promised the JIGGLER recipe today. I was pre-occupied:) But, it’s almost done so during naps I’ll finish it and get it up as soon as I can.
You will heal. I will help.
Now that was the best post to date….:)
I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU. You truly will be the best mother. And a little GUTSY premie baby, while an unfortunate situation, is perfect for you and she is so blessed to have you and ryan as parents.
i’ll move in as a nanny next year:)
And I’m crying. Such a wonderful wonderful day for you. Happy Birthday Mom & Dad. Welcome to this amazing club. You will never ever be the same.
You will do great.
Sending you love, Blessings and prayers of gratitude for those that have been answered.
My Love to you!
OH congrats congrats congrats!!! So excited for you.
I don’t come by your blog every day, but every time I do read, I have been hoping to see this post. YOU ARE A MOMMY!!! Congratulations, I’m so happy for you! <3
This is incredible. I am so happy for you and your husband, and I’m sure you’ll be the most loving mother.
xo
I had good feelings seeing your tweets with MIZ yesterday but I didn’t know how incredible! I’m so, so happy for you and your new family! Best of luck xoxo
Congratulations!!! Breastmilk is so helpful for preemies (and all babies of course) and there is a human milk bank located in San Jose. hmbana.com
Also, you may not know, but you can actually induce lactation and breastfeed if you want. It’s pretty amazing.
So excited for you guys! And what a lucky little girl to have you as parents.
So very happy for you and Ryan, and the precious little one who will have a loving home. Praying for you all as you grow as a family.
Oh, and some foster adoptive moms I know have posted pictures of just a hand, or a foot when they aren’t able to show the baby’s face. Just a thought if you wanted to share.
So happy for u guys!!!
By far the best news I will read all day! So many congratulations to you and Ryan (and the pups!)!!
This made me cry. What an AWESOME post. I am so excited for you and your family.
I don’t have much info in terms of premies, except to offer that I was born at 28 weeks, and I couldn’t process breast milk or cow’s milk and ended up on a goat’s milk formula. Which is to say that a lot of baby tummy issues result in trial and error. I also wonder if premies just have a harder time adjusting to ANY food intake because their little systems are just so NEW.
Absolutely thrilled for you! Will you be a wonderful mom 🙂 Congrats!
Congratulations to you and Ryan! What a blessing!
I THOUGHT I HAD TIME to knit you a baby blanket before the little one arrived!
Congratulations…
CONGRATULATIONS! many well wishes to you and your little fighter!
OHMYGOSH congrats love!!!! This is beautiful. You will be a wonderful mother!! <3
Congratulations Sarah!!! You guys are going to be the best parents to that little one!! I can’t wait to meet her!!!!
Happy early Christmas!!!
Xoxo,
Ally
I am so so so happy for you! You are an amazing woman and deserve every blessing in the world. Enjoy this time with your precious new baby!! <3
So happy for you! Congrats on your sweet little girl!
Wow, Sarah, that is so wonderful! What an adventure you are on! All the very best to you and Ryan and CONGRATULATIONS!! XOXOXOX,
Alaine
Perfect! What an excellent “gotcha” day story! Congrats.
I am so incredibly excited for you!!!!! How AMAZING!!!!!!! Congratulations new mama!!!!!!!
This post gave me chills! So happy for you and sending prayers your way!
As for preemie resources, there is a wonderful blog I read, and her daughter was a preemie. She has a whole section of her site devoted to preemie resources: http://www.kaylaaimee.com/scarlettes-story/preemie-resources/
Hopefully some of that will be helpful to you. And I am sure she would answer any questions you might have if you contacted her!
Ahhhh. I’m crying! What an amazing, amazing gift. You’ll do so great as a mommy!! Couldn’t be happier for you. xo
I LOVE reading your stories and am so excited for you two! Our little guy came early at 35 weeks. When we took him home from the hospital he was still hovering around 6 lbs. One thing that I thought really helped was Kangaroo Care. It seems a little weird, but they love nothing more than to be skin to skin with their Mommies. It helps them keep warm. Plus it’s wonderful bonding time:) Levi went through period of time when his little gut was growing and changing so much. It was apparent that he was a little uncomfortable in there. We got him an amber necklace which oddly enough seems to make a difference. A book that has helped tremendously is “Smart Medicine for a Healthier Baby.” We found it at our local Coop, but you can purchase it online as well…It has tons of alternative options for baby health!
When all else fails…Mommy knows best! You’ll figure it out:)
What a wonderful post! I am absolutely thrilled for you and know you will be a great mom.
Wow!! What great news! I follow your posts and wasn’t sure how fast it was going to happen for you and now she’s here. So happy for you and your family. Welcome to the Mommyhood!
Congrats!!!! I am soooooooo happy for you and Ryan. This is love at its finest. Let us know if you need anything at all. 🙂
What a beautiful gift and blessing to each of you…You have a heart of gold and will be such an incredible Mother as will Ryan as her Father. THRILLED!
This post made my day. Congrats. Your journey continues…
Tears of joy!!!! And ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Congratulations !!!!
I am beyond excited for you! God’s plan is always POWERFUL and PURPOSEFUL! <3 <3
God is so good!! I am so happy for you. So so happy!
I love you so much! I have been crying tears of joy all day! Praising God for his beautiful gifts! It has been an honor to pray for this day, it truly has! …you are a MOMMY and Ryan, a DADDY! So happy for you!
Congratulations, Sarah.
I’m so excited for you to start your new journey of parenthood.
You are more than ready and will thrive! Wish you all the best!
Sarah, this is such fantastic news! My heart is full and I’m so thrilled for you… enjoy every sleepless minute!
Congratulations!! I am so incredibly happy for you! So wonderful. Now go back to the gazing and the cuddling. 🙂
Congrats Mom!!! So happy for your new family!!!
Congratulations to you and Ryan! What an amazing gift from God you have been given. The only advice you need is to follow your insticts! You will be a great mom! Make sure you take some time and just watch her sleep. Soak in the facial expressions, the innocense, the preciousness, and the pure joy of unconditional love. They don’t stay little for long!
Congratulations! What a blessing! 26 weeks….amazing. A gutsy baby indeed! Enjoy all those snuggles.
Blessings upon blessings to you, your hubby and daughter… FYI: An alternate if breast milk is not available is goats milk and carrot juice- 50/50… I have been blessed with 3 amazing healthy brilliant children… I would love to help and share with you as you embrace motherhood in any way I can…
Oh Sarah, I’m so happy for you! Yes, you life has been flipped upside down indeed. And in the best possible way!
You and Ryan will be such wonderful parents. You are truly blessed. And so is your gutsy baby girl!
Wow! Congrats! I was a premie at 34 weeks. Have you ever read The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care by Sally Fallon? There are some great resources in there.
Congratulations! I’m not a NICU Nurse, but I work on NICU kids. If you have any questions, I may be able to help you out! Call me anytime!
Congratulations!
CONGRATS Sarah on your new little blessing. God is so good. Only one little piece of advice I can offer is to hit up your local human milk bank since preemies require breast milk. (most beneficial for her fragile little gut). There is plenty of info online to get you started with self induced lactation if you’er interested. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/induced-lactation/AN01882
Congratulations Sarah, I am so happy for you two!! Such a blessing.
Congrats to you and your husband on becoming parents! I was so happy when I read this post! I can’t wait to see pictures of her and all of you together as a family. 🙂
This is absolutely amazing and I’m so happy for you guys!! Congrats!!
Congrats! God is SO GOOD!
Reading this at work with tears in my eyes. Congratulations! 🙂
Congratulations! What a blessing.
Congratulations! Check out Weston A Price and the homemade baby formula!