Celebrations

These past few weeks we have enjoyed celebrating our family of three.  As we have discussed our year several themes have emerged:

• ·         Joy!  Ainsley is an absolute joy and she has added so much happiness to our lives.  Her brilliant personality lights up a room and making her giggle is fantastic!
• ·         Grateful.  We are overwhelmed with gratitude…

o   for the amazing support of our friends and family: who brought us meals in the hospital, prayed for us, sent us encouraging notes, visited us, followed our blog, did our laundry, fed our dog, mowed our lawn, watered our plants,  brought us dessert, understood that Ainsley’s health needs meant we had to be isolated in the fall/winter/spring…

o   for the terrific NICU staff: who took expert care of our precious daughter, educated us, listened to us, included us in our daughters care, let us cry on their shoulders, took pictures, decorated our baby’s room, cheered us on, included us in rounds each day and listened to all our questions…

o   for each other: what an amazing partnership we have, our strength and love for each other was tested and has grown throughout this experience…

o   for our remarkable daughter: how strong you are Ainsley Marie!  We were and are awed by your strength and determination.  What a truly extraordinary girl you are and we are beyond thrilled that you are a part of our family!

o   for our excellent pediatrician: she has listened to all our concerns and questions, always taking extra time

• ·         Anxiety.  Thankfully, this emotion is fading.  However, as we think back over the year this was a common feeling.  There was so much unknown and so many variables.  We desperately wanted to protect our daughter and support her health and development needs.
• ·         Wonder.  We are sure this is how most parents feel often during their child’s first year of life and beyond.  It is incredible to watch Ainsley grow and develop, both at home and in the NICU. 

It has been quite a journey and we are just getting started!

As stated at the beginning of this post we have enjoyed celebrating these past few weeks.  For  several years, we have celebrated the Fourth of July with a group of lifelong friends.  Last year we were unable to do this, for a number of reasons (one being Ainsley’s early arrival), and so we were especially looking forward to this year.  

One of the highlights this year was introducing the second generation to our tradition!  There were two new girls in the mix, Ainsley, and our friends the Olson’s daughter Madelyn. It was a blast to watch the girls play together! 

 See their post about the weekend 

Another celebration was Ainsley’s birthday party at Grandma Sherry’s house.  We wanted to invite our friends and family to thank them for all their support this year and to celebrate Ainsley’s birth.  Many times we have thought about how we didn’t get to celebrate Ainsley being born in the typical way with visitors, balloons, and such.  Instead we were in a NICU.  So, the party was a way to celebrate both Ainsley’s birth and her first year of life. 

Thanks to Grandma Sherry for hosting – you are awesome!  Thanks to Grammy for helping with food and drinks – you are wonderful!  Thanks to Auntie Cassie for helping with all the set up – you rock!  Thanks to Anna Austin for your absolutely stunning cakes – you are marvelous!  Thanks to all our friends & family for coming to celebrate with us!

More pictures to come in another post. =)