Graduation Picnic
Greetings to everyone.
Rebecca and I took Xavier to his first UCH NICU Graduate Picnic. This is a picnic sponsored by the hospital and supported by the community. It was held at Generals Park, a park across the street from the hospital. This is a yearly picnic attended by NICU nurses, NICU parents, NICU children, NICU doctors, et al., and has been going on for more than 22 years.
We arrived a little late, not really expecting much. What a surprise. Rebecca turned to me and said "Next year we won't dally." Hundreds of people were there already and we were only thirty minutes late. Hotdogs, macaroni salad, fruit cups, chips, drinks, sno-cones galore in the food lines. All of it was free, paid for by donations.
Dinger from the Colorado Rockies was posing with kids and signing autographs. Miles from the Denver Broncos was doing the same thing about twenty feet away. Eventually, the two got together to pose with the kiddos.
They had bouncy-houses, basketball free-throw contests, hula-hoop contests, bubblegum bubble blowing contests. Oh, the list goes on!
There was a little train running around the park. It was driven by a man named Vern, the train's owner, and he has been bringing and driving the train over 22 years at this event.
I examined the train, but the little barrels were too small for me to fit into, and way too big for Xavier to sit alone. Sadly, we could not take a train ride. Rebecca would not let me take Xavier climbing on the rock wall they brought in. Plus, they did not have a safety harness small enough for Xavier.
We ran in to many of Xavier's NICU nurses. All were excited to see him, many asking "where's Xavier?" Rebecca filled them in and let them see and poke him. Two of the nurses were excited to find us there because they were on vacation when Xavier was discharged, so could not say their goodbyes. One nurse, Allison and the first of Xavier's nurses we ran into, returned to find three of her babies discharged. "Where are all my kids?" she told us were her thoughts.
We ate lunch with a couple whose twin boys were delivered at 24 weeks and each weighed less than Xavier did at his delivery. The twins will be eight in October, and you cannot tell they were preemies and so small.
We met many parents with preemies and all had the same story: their kids have grown well. What encouragement! Even though we feel Xavier is doing well, still it was nice to see and hear so many stories like this.
There were so many sets of twins there; most of the graduates in attendance seemed to be twins. We did meet a couple with quadruplets, and one pair of them were twins! It was amazing to watch the mother feed her four (all were nine months old). Put a bottle in their hand, then lay them on their back at one corner of the blanket (four kids, four corners). This mother had it down to a science. I think with four, that would be necessary and a matter of survival for one's sanity.
What a great celebration. They even had group pictures of all the graduates. Xavier and Rebecca appear in the 0-5 year old group. We are excited to attend next year!
Great is our God, Who surrounds us with clouds of witnesses to encourage us and connect us into families who have been through the land we are now passing through! Thank you for your prayers!
A collage of much of the activities. A climbing wall; a bouncy house; balloon animals, swords and hats; Dinger and Miles; a Hula-Hoop contest, won by last year's champion who is 8 and her performance made the Pink Bunny look like a slacker; an all-terain train.
This is Allison, one of Xavier's main nurses while in the NICU. She was the first we met at the picnic and was excited to find us. She was on vacation when Xavier was discharged, so she missed saying her farewells. Allison has been with the NICU 22 years. She wanted a picture of her, Xavier and Rebecca, which we were happy to supply.
This is Stacey, another of Xavier's main nurses. She is a lively nurse and a lot of fun. Like most of the nurses we met, she has been with the NICU a long time and very knowledgeable.
This is Kathy, Xavier's "older sister" and a wealth of information. We always enjoyed having her care for Xavier. She lives near the Southern Outpost, but even that close, I couldn't entice her to come home with us to continue caring for Xavier.
This is Jody, another long-time NICU veteran with four boys of her own. Xavier did not have Jody many times, and only near the end of his stay. She appears serious in this photo, but her excitement and enthusiasm are completely infectious.
Rebecca and Xavier at lunch. We sat next to a family who had twin boys delivered at 24 weeks, both weighing 1.5 pounds. The boys will be eight this October, and you would never guess they were preemies!
This is the group of NICU graduates from 0 to 5 years old. Rebecca and Xavier are in the center, back.