To say that the last month has been a whirlwind of emotion is an understatement. On August 16th, my nephew Owen Davis Blythe was born. Five weeks early. The entire experience brought my priorities into laser focus.
The weekend before Owen was born was my sister Haley's shower. It was also the weekend before the school year again. I'm a little ashamed to admit how "busy" and "overwhelmed" I felt. The shower went great, Haley looked beautiful, and in the end there was very little to worry about.
Two days into the school year, I received a call (well 6 to be exact) that brought everything to a screeching halt: Haley's water broke and she was going into an emergency C-section. Within 30 minutes, Justin, Emerson, and I were heading down to Concord in separate cars, fast food dinners in hand.
We arrived in time at the hospital to see Haley and Craig before she went into surgery. It was terrible to see my sister so scared, but I knew she was relieved that Craig was still in town. He had been scheduled to go to Maryland the next day.
I stayed at the hospital and waited for little Owen to be introduced to the world. A little after 9:30, he was born at 6 pounds, 12 ounces, 18 inches. Before I headed to my mom's at almost 2 am, we got to see our new little boy. Amazingly, he was bigger than Emerson, who was born three weeks after him but was only 5 pounds 10 ounces.
For the past three weeks, Owen has been in the NICU while the doctors try to assess his health and needs. We were able to visit once, and it was amazing how much bigger he is now just a few weeks after he was born. Hopefully, he will be able to go home soon.
For me this experience has had a strong impact. First, my younger sister is incredibly special to me, and to see her struggle through this experience has been immensely painful. Second, I am fully aware how lucky I am that Emerson was healthy. My gestational diabetes could have put her at great risk. To be honest, this pregnancy didn't feel real (well, the puking did) until the last few weeks. I feel lucky again that I am pregnant, and I will admit I feel a bit scared. Having a child is a foundation-shaking experience.
My sister, brother-in-law, and new nephew have a uncertain road in front of them. However, they are strong and full of love for their new boy. He is truly a miracle.
Welcome, Owen Davis Blythe to this wacky world! We love you.
3 comments:
That was beautiful! I enjoyed reading your insights. You have been fabulous throughout this whole thing. I love you and I am so thankful to have you in my life!
I love this! I feel the same way!
Thanks for making me cry Hil. I am glad that Owen finally got to go home with Craig & Haley today. We won't get to meet him for another week and a half since we are headed to Seattle for a week. Hope your little seahorse is not giving you too much of a hard time and I hope you are feeling well. You are such a wonderful sister. Haley is lucky to have you.
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