In the beginning

In August of 2001, we became pregnant with our first child. Having a difficult preganacy, our first born was delivered via emergency C Cection at 4am, 6 weeks early. We were both horrified and elated. I had been on bed rest and hospitalized for so long that we were thrilled to have the ordeal over with, yet had not even thought of the implications this would have on our newborn son who was at that time a little over 3.5 lbs. He was tiny and having such a difficult labor, I did not get to physcially touch my son for 24 hours after they wisked him away to the NICU that first night. While I recovered from the deliver, my husband would jog back and forth from my LDR room and the incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Under so much medication, it was hard for me to believe I even had a child. I was not given that natural time to bond with him right after birth so I was left to look at pictures my family had quickly developed for me (digital cameras were not as hot as they are now). It was not until I was brought into the NICU by a wheelchair and saw his incubator with his name written on a colorful, large nameplate on top, COLTON, that I shed my first tear. I actually began sobbing. It was that lightbulb moment that this was real, I had a baby boy. When the put him in my arms the first time I immediately noticed his nail beds. Yes, very random but they looked exactly like mine. And the whole time he craned his little neck which was smaller than my wrist, to hear my voice. I was smitten and 100% head over heels for this little guy not much heavier than a Chiuauaua. Colton spent 3 weeks in the NICU and once brought home, was as healthy as any full term child.