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Spring Brings Change - Part II: Seven Months Later

10/29/2014

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I feel like I'm the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. "I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!" Yes, I am. At least that's how I've been feeling lately. You know that feeling ... when something is nagging at you but you can't figure out what it is? With everything that's getting ready to change around our household, you can't blame me for feeling restless. Or scatterbrained. Or even jumpy. Maybe it's that too-late-I-shouldn't-have-had-it cup of coffee, but as I put the finishing touches on my son's Halloween costume it has hit me that in a few short days it will be November ... and one of the most cherished times of the year for us as a family and for His Middle Name.


PictureFall 2014
Before I can begin to share all the excitement around His Middle Name, I want to take a step back and share all the changes that are getting ready to take place in the very place His Middle Name was birthed: our home. This past spring I shared my disappointment with having to withdraw Sutton from school after his unexpected diagnoses with Reactive Airway Disease (you can read that blog post here). At the time, the diagnoses was devastating to us, and we didn't know how to navigate this new health challenge. Over the last six months, we have found a way to live with Reactive Airway Disease (RAD). That means first having to accept it, and then learning how to manage it with the tools we've been given. Doing that has limited our appointments with our son's pediatrician (which were quite frequent in the beginning) and has meant NO trips to the ER. It has meant being proactive instead of reactive. It means the very moment I hear a sniffle, whether allergy or cold, I'm attacking it with breathing treatments and nasal spray and Flovent so it doesn't creep into his lungs. Doing that has made all the difference, and now we're ready for the biggest challenge yet: putting Sutton back into school. Yep, as in right now - in the middle of cold and flu season. Call me crazy, but I think we're ready! I know my son is going to get sick. I know he's going to have days when he struggles with his RAD, but he's eager to go back to school and physically we feel he's ready to go back, so fingers crossed for a fresh and healthy start in Pre-K 4!


With Sutton going back to school this Monday, that leaves me all by my lonesome - but not for long! I too am going back as well ... to work! I'm actually so excited because I work in a field that I am so passionate about (clinical research) and where the work truly makes a difference in people's lives, and that is so important to me as a woman and provider. It feels good to be starting this new chapter in a beautiful facility that focuses on healing and health. And even though a part of me will miss this special time I've had with Sutton, going back to work will be a welcome change for me and our family, and I couldn't be happier! I just feel confident that I'm moving in the right direction, and you can't put a sticker price on how that feels.



PictureHalloween in the NICU
Now for the good stuff! There are so many exciting things coming up in November for His Middle Name I can barely keep them all straight! November is Prematurity Awareness Month and it's such a special time for the preemie community as a whole because not only does it raise awareness about prematurity, but the month lends a tender ear to all who have a story to tell. It's a meaningful time for many preemie parents and caretakers, as it gives a voice to those who have witnessed prematurity first-hand. It's a month to raise your voice and raise awareness about the need to prevent premature birth for other mothers and families. Looking for a way to get involved? It starts at home. Start a conversation by sharing your birth story or NICU journey with family and friends. Take to social media and change your profile picture to a photo of your preemie or share one on His Middle Name's Facebook page, as these are great ways to get people thinking about prematurity. Better yet, make use of the month by starting your March for Babies team fundraising! There will be many local and national events to observe the importance of this month, but there's one event in particular I'm really excited about! I'm not going to give it away just yet .... but it's a fun way to raise awareness and money for the March of Dimes and His Middle Name is proud to be a small part of it. I will be sharing more information about it this Saturday so stay tuned by visiting the His Middle Name Facebook page or following us on twitter @HisMiddleName. In the meantime, enjoy passing out candy or trick-or-treating with your sweet spooks and goblins!


2 Comments

The Message

10/12/2014

1 Comment

 
The message today at church was a simple one, but it was profound: look what God has done. Yes, we were encouraged to peel back the layers of "blindness" that we wear everyday and take a real look at our lives. Strip down the mistakes we've made, the burdens we carry, the daily struggles and really look. Go beyond the labels we like to place on ourselves and the world around us and LOOK! So I did, and tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes. I have so much to be thankful for, and sometimes it takes a gentle reminder like today's to take me to that place where I stop trying so hard, and just rest in the peace that my life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful.


I had another moment like that last weekend; a moment where it felt like time slowed down just so I could witness all the grace it held. Last weekend my son Sutton celebrated his fourth birthday! I found myself looking back through photos of him in the NICU, and was instantly rushed back to those days where everyday was a test of resilience and faith. I looked back at photos of him as he grew from a two pound micro-preemie into a smiley one year old, then a curious two year old, and later, a precocious three year old. I smiled through tears as I remembered how tiny he was - how he actually used to sleep right on my chest he was so small, and how now he won't let me hug him as long or nuzzle him as much. It was such a bittersweet moment realizing that my baby is, well, no longer a baby.


As I ease into this season of thankfulness and cognition, I see where I struggle in my faith and where I need to be more obedient. However, I also see that my life is so full of love, and that my husband and I are especially blessed to have each other and Sutton. Still, if I have learned anything these last four years it's that true faith has to be personal, and it must come from within. If it starts there, then it slowly starts to seep out and heal you - filling in the gaps and spaces left too wide by past hurts and needs that were never met. Just like my son being four, where we are isn't permanent, but it is where God has placed us and there is meaning in it (even if I don't see it). Yep, real life isn't perfect, but gee, look what God has done!
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1 Comment

    I’m a southern gal to the core who lives for my family, has a serious weakness for chocolate, a penchant for anything that can be monogrammed and loves to craft and sew. Thank you for your interest and welcome to His Middle Name!

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