12 Month Post

Ok, so obviously this is overdue. Our world was a little hectic during her birthday week, so it just didn't happen.

Without further ado, here are pictures of our birthday girl!

We celebrated her actual birthday with breakfast at IHOP (where our waitress, who adored Phoenix, gave her a tiny bowl of birthday-breakfast ice cream), followed by a trip to the hospital. We stopped in the NICU, where the nurses oooh'd and ahhh'd and reminisced about how tiny she used to be. The rest of the day was pretty normal and laid back -- Phoenix and I went to Gymboree, and then she hung out with Josh while I worked.

Gettin' after her ice cream

In the hospital lobby

Updates:
- We had her 1-year checkup this Friday, and she weighs at 23.5 lbs. She has gained just about 21 lbs this year ... no wonder we have gone through so many sizes of clothing! She is mostly wearing 18M things these days.
- Still no crawling. Our pediatrician isn't worried, so neither are we. She is pretty darn good at rolling wherever she wants to go, and she can even scootch around while sitting up. The nursery workers at 12Stone are so glad she isn't crawling ... they are totally in love with her, and love that she has stayed in their room for so long (since crawling is the criteria for moving up).
- She has two teeth on the bottom, and some serious fussiness (and swollen gums) lead us to believe she is going to get some top ones pretty soon.
- She is an eating champion ... even with just two teeth, she is pretty good at eating whatever I give her. Cheerios, blueberries, watermelon, tomato insides (that I squirt in her mouth), bread with hummus, avocado, baby puffs, and carrots are some of her favorites. We are slowly starting to decrease her formula intake, and introduce some water and milk.
- She is clapping.... though her form is a little sloppy. Since she is a baby, we let it slide. She is also just stating to get the hang of waving.
- She is pulling up on EVERYTHING. And she ALWAYS wants to be standing. Too bad her tiny little feet don't help her balance.
- Phoenix and Josh play a sweet little game where they smush their faces up against the pack n' play. It pretty much melts my heart to watch them together.
- She LOVES showers. I just set her on the floor on the tub while I shower sometimes, and she plays contentedly with her toys, occasionally looking straight up into the stream to smile at me. She's the best.
- She loves the sound of her own voice. I can't wait until I can understand her, because sister sure has a lot to say.
- She is still a people-lover. Though she has a little bit of separation anxiety, she is easily diverted and loves to hang with anyone who will give her attention. She even seems to think other babies are fascinating...

That's all I got. She's just cool ... that's all I know.

Ode to Our Village

Phoenix turned one just over a week ago. Crazy.
A year ago, we didn't know if she would ever see her birthday.
But, thanks to the kindness of God and the extravagant love of His people, she made it. Big, beautiful and happy.

It is not lost on me that all three of us only survived because of the massive support from the people around us. There is nothing that I can do to repay you all ... all I can do is say thank you.

Thank you for praying. For wearing out your knees on behalf of our tiny girl and our broken hearts. Thank you for the tears shed in intercession, and (to many of you) for vocalizing your prayers to us with such faith.
Thank you for all the wonderful gifts that you gave to Josh and I while we were in the hospital. Sweat pants, snacks, Starbucks, cotton candy ice cream, coloring books, clean clothes, meals for my man, chocolate, flowers ... shoot, some of everything. We were so well cared for in those couple days.
Thank you for rushing to support us -- whether that meant a hospital visit, a card, or a Facebook message, it was a treasure to know how much you all cared. 
Thank you for all the ways that you helped us financially -- gas and restaurant cards, cash, gifts, etc. Josh and I didn't worry about money once during her hospital stay, which blows my mind in retrospect. Thank you for freeing up our mental/emotional energy so we could worry about the one thing that mattered.
Thank you for putting us on a mat (metaphorically, of course), and carrying us to Jesus. So much of my faith during those days was borrowed -- thank you for sharing.
Thank you for covering the shifts that I missed during my hospital stay and recovery, and for picking up my slack at work when my mind was in the NICU.
Thank you for the hugs ... all of them.
Thank you for the beautiful pictures - few things have been so profoundly dear to me.
Thank you for giving us space when we needed it.
Thank you for letting our circumstances commandeer our relationships for a while. I am so sorry for missed birthdays, milestones and thank-you cards. We were probably very self-centered in conversation, and thank you for giving us so much love and grace for that.
Thank you for cleaning our house. No really ... THANK YOU.
Thank you for letting us process our pain in our time/way.
Thank you for hauling your pregnant self (and three children) to the hospital so that I could see my fragile bird for a bit. For everyone who drove me around in the early days, thank you!
Thank you for helping us to laugh. We treasure the weightless moments, when you freed us from the pain with a smile.
Thank you for the comments on my blog posts. For whatever reason, they meant SO much to me.
Thank you for enduring with us. It was a long journey, and the support never let up.
Thank you for making the "stuck-by-the-oxygen-tank" days bearable with meals, visits, and Netflix suggestions.
Thank you for loving my girl so well. Everyone who saw her, touched her or held her in those first months did so with marked tenderness. I am tearing up just thinking about it ...
A special thank you to the staff at the hospital (though I am sure they will never read this). You fought for my sweet baby's life, loved her when we couldn't be there, and put up with my all my crazy. You deserve an award.
And thank you for all the unmentioned gifts of love you gave to us. 

They say it takes a village to raise a child ... and for us, it took a village just to make it one year. Whether you know it or not, you were the kindness of God revealed to us. We are forever grateful.