DOUBLE VISION: Babies' First Easter

We had a great time with Sam and Linda last weekend, minus the fact that poor Andy was sick the whole time. He woke up with a fever on Saturday morning and is just now feeling better. The worst part is that he hasn't been able to see the boys since Friday night! For obvious reasons the NICU is very strict about not visiting when you are sick. Since the boys seem different and bigger to us every time we see them, I'm sure he'll be shocked when he finally sees them - both in clothes! Yes, Max passed the 1500 grams goal on Saturday night and is now able to wear clothes too. The reason they can start wearing clothes at 1500 grams is because they no longer need their temperature probes at this point. The heat in their isolettes is controlled by temperature probes (like the silver shamrock on Max's stomach that he had for St. Paddy's day) that tell the bed how hot or cold the baby is. Once they weigh 1500 grams, they have enough body fat to start controlling their own body temperatures and that means they can start wearing clothes. The fact that they have so much extra room in their outfits makes it even cuter to see!

Our Easter Sunday celebration started with 8:30am mass at the Cathedral of Incarnation just down the street from the hospital. During the homily, the priest talked about how the egg is the most recognized symbol of Easter and how that is fitting because an egg provides life through its nurturing environment. I wish I could remember his exact words, but basically he pointed out that although the unhatched and perfectly formed egg is the symbol most often associated with Easter, it is actually the broken egg that is of most importance. Once the chick is fully developed inside the egg, he begins pecking away at the shell until he breaks free, leaving a broken shell. Although the egg is now broken and imperfect, it shows that the chick has grown strong enough to live outside its shell. So really it is the broken and imperfect egg, rather than the unhatched and perfectly formed egg, that best symbolizes life.

I thought the priest made a great point, and it was a point of view I had never considered. More often than not, the word "broken" brings to mind a negative thought or image - a broken heart; a broken promise; broken dreams. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to fix that which is broken that we miss the chance to see the beauty in its imperfections. When Tyler and Max were born 14 weeks early, it felt like many things had broken. Our expectations for the remaining months of our pregnancy were broken. Our daily and weekly routines were broken. And our hearts were broken as we watched our boys fight to live outside of the womb. When your plans break and things don't go as expected, it is easy to dwell on what could have been. What would it have been like to have two healthy, full-term babies? What if we never had to experience the NICU? How would we have spent the last 3 months of our pregnancy if the boys weren't born so early? Many tears were shed during those first weeks after Max and Tyler's birth - wondering what could have and should have been. But luckily it didn't take long for us to realize that those broken plans and expectations were now part of our journey. Even though we are often disappointed when things don't turn out as perfectly as we imagined, it is the cracks in our plans that usually build character and make us who we are.

This was a great Easter but next year will be even better since Max and Tyler will be at home to celebrate. Luckily the Easter Bunny (aka Grandpa Sam and Grandma Linda) made a special delivery to the hospital with their Easter baskets! Thanks for a great weekend, Sam and Linda. We loved having you here!