Worth It

Yesterday afternoon we went to a NICU reunion for NICU grads, their families, their docs, NNPs and nurses. About 800 people had RSVP'ed for the event, so it was quite a sight. This was one of the sweetest experiences for both Chris and me.
Most of our married life has been spent with Chris in med school, residency and fellowship (10 years out of 14). I'm ashamed to admit that at times I griped about the long hours (particularly during fellowship--at one point in preschool when Abs was asked what her daddy liked to do she replied "work") but like anyone whose husband works a lot of hours I learned that you can spend your time complaining and be miserable or you can decide to deal with it. I dealt with it. It helped, too, that Chris tried to be home as much as possible. And I also have to admit I have griped about the six-figure student loan debt we had to take out for Chris to get through med school. But I also realized that this has always been his dream and I was more than happy to do whatever would be required to make that happen. He does the same for me.

Yesterday was worth it.

Now, you have to know that I don't see Chris at work. I know his partners, and quite a few of the NNPs and nurses, but that's it. I meet him for lunch when possible, but it's not like the NICU is exactly a "bring your child to work" kind of a place.

The minute we walked into the reunion, I heard, "Dr. Stapley." And I started meeting all of these parents whose children Chris had cared for. Some had children in the NICU for months, some a few weeks, some had a twin who'd died, most had children who were only 1 or 2 lbs when they were born. Chris had a story for every baby. I had to choke back the tears more than once.
To see the children Chris was able to help, to see their smiling parents, to see everything come together--the answer to why we've sacrificed so much--it was truly overwhelming.

Yes, everything, everything was and is worth it.

Here are a couple of families:

I only met a fraction of the people Chris spoke with because the kids only had eyes for the inflatables and bird show and cupcakes.

Lisi took on the inflatables--she powered through even the older-kid one.

Kierst helped out with a "magic trick" during the bird show. She loved every minute of it and even got to hold and pet birds afterwards.

Abs overcame her fears and held a miniature parrot for the first time (no pic-I was holding Lisi who was also holding one). She also enjoyed the sweets.

It doesn't get much better than this.