Flashback

Today, on a whim, I checked out our old CaringBridge site we used when I was pregnant with Elliot. His fourth birthday is approaching faster than I care to acknowledge. It blows my mind that he is going to be four. It just does not seem possible as many days it feels like we left that hospital just yesterday. So, for anyone out there that may be interested here is the entry from May 21, 2008:

We've been here for 5 weeks! WOW!! It's crazy to think that we hopefully only have 3 weeks or so left. Life is sure full of surprises ;) We have another BPP & growth ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning so we'll get another chance to get a good look at him - maybe even see his face ;) It will be good to see how he is growing and to see how much progress he has made that last 3 weeks!

Petey is off getting his eyes checked today so he can get new glasses!! Yay for no more supergluing them together! I'm working on studying for a couple of tests that need to be taken for school. My mind seems to be settling down enough to let me do this so hopefully I'll do well!

Five weeks. Right now it's hard for me to imagine being in any one stationary place for 5 weeks - we have one speed around here and it is go, go, go as fast as you can. Sometimes I wonder how I ever made it through eight whole weeks of staring at the same four walls day after day and sitting in the same bed day after day and looking at the same roof and flower shop day after day. I know I would do it again in a heartbeat but wow that is a long time. This morning I flipped through some of our other entries and, as it always has before, I was amazed at how far my little man has come. Four years ago we didn't know how our story would end. We didn't know if it would be a happy ending or a tragic one. We didn't know if we would be in for a lifetime of struggles with him or if it would be smooth sailing after the hospital. No other experience in my life has made me believe so much in the power in prayer. We have been beyond blessed with Mr. E.

And, for your viewing pleasure here is a picture from May 16, 2008. This was my first time breathing fresh air outside the hospital in a month. I was finally granted permission to take a quick wheelchair ride outside with my husband. I remember it being absolutely, gloriously, beautiful and refreshing!

Please don't hold my ghostly appearance against me! It was snowy the day I was admitted to the hospital and it is pretty impossible to catch any sun while you're stuck in a bed!