'Where's the Love?' Wednesday ... a NICU graduation

This past weekend I attended a NICU graduation event at the hospital that Ava was born at and spent most of the first five weeks (minus a week and a half that was spent at another hospital in the same network) of her life. This event is one of the most wonderful events I've attended and has been our second time. The first event we attended, Emma was just two and a half months old, making Ava just14 and a half months old. So we didn't get to play the games, get our hair braided, etc.



We attended the event with some dear friends of ours, that went through the same thing with their youngest. He was born at 32 weeks, just like Ava, but was a little heavier and didn't stay as long.

The event the hospital puts on is very meaningful. You get to see the great nurses that took care of your baby (babies) during the most difficult time, check-in with the neonatal doctors that you avoided or were intimidated by, eat snacks, take pictures, listen to live music, smile and admire all of the miracles that surround you. That's truly what I take away from the event. The miracles that surround me. They are miracles because the first few moments or days or months of these 'graduates' lives, were very fragile, scary and delicate. It's amazing to see it!

Nicely cropped picture by my dear friend, Michelle!

We played 'fishing' games, threw bean bags into netted traps, got our hair braided and our faces painted, rubbed 'pretend' tattoos on our arms, chalked the hospital grounds walkways and blew bubbles.

We had fun! Can't you tell?? :)

And straight from Abby's posts on Wednesdays:

What are you loving?  

It's easy!  

Write about what you're loving at this moment.  If you want, take a picture or many. And post your link at Akers of Love.