Lyndie

Guess what we got to do today?

We got to visit Lyndie and her momma, Katie!

...and let me tell you, it's going to be a visit that I'll probably remember for...ever.

Lyndie is 33 days old today!
Oh, happy day!

Knowing that Kevin and I were going to get to see Lyndie, Makayla was very upset that she couldn't go with, so we told her we would take pictures and she could see Lyndie through our pictures.
Upon showing her the pictures that we took, she said "Awww, oh my gosh.  We need to send these to Aunt Nina"...and every time we described Lyndie (like when Kevin compared her little butt cheeks to the size of his thumb), Makayla would say "Come on!". 

...and all Mason kept saying was "Where does Lyndie live?" 

This is a picture of Lyndie's diaper that Katie sent home for Makayla.

Our visit today was short and sweet, but I'm telling you that what we saw and heard will leave an imprint on our hearts and in our minds that we never thought possible.

What I learned during my 15 minute visit in the NICU:

I got to see Lyndie's teeny tiny booty butt while Katie changed her poopy diaper...all while Lyndie slept on her belly.  (little things like a poopy diaper amaze me!...)

That's talent - if you ask me - to change a 2 pound baby through an incubator...that has tubes and lines coming from her...and a ventilator...while she's laying on her belly...PLUS the pressure of an alarm beeping because her oxygen level was decreasing.  Whew! 

After Katie changed her diaper, I got to watch the process of them weighing her diaper...and once that was done, it was time to feed Lyndie.

Lyndie has an orogastric tube - a tube that goes into her belly via her mouth.  And that little tube (it's the orange tube in the picture) is how Lyndie is fed.  The nurses hook a little syringe up and let gravity pull the breastmilk from the syringe, though the tube, and into Lyndie's belly.  BEFORE they feed her, though, they have to pull back in the syringe to make sure that there isn't anything left in Lyndie's belly.  If there was anything that came back in the tube, that may indicate a problem in her digestion.

Katie wears little pads in her bra and then when she's done wearing them, she puts them in the incubator (Lyndie's bed).  Lyndie lays on them so she will always have the scent of her mom with her.

Occupational Therapy has to come in and help with the positioning of Lyndie to improve the development of her hips and legs.  If it were up to her, Lyndie would just have her legs sprawled out and frogged out all the time, but it's important in order to help them grow properly that they be positioned in a certain way and that's where the therapy comes in - they have ways to help support Lyndie while keeping her comfortable.

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We were just visitors.  

We aren't living it.

I know we just got a quick glimpse in the NICU and what we saw and heard doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg. 

 There are ups and down, steps forward and steps backward, 

but 

  it's a miracle right before your eyes. 

I want to thank Katie for letting us come up to visit her and Lyndie.
It was a privilege to be able to meet Lyndie and I'm so thankful that she's here to touch the hearts and lives of so many people.

Seeing and talking to Katie today, I left feeling proud of her and inspired.  

"being a mother is learning about strengths you didn't know you had, and dealing with fears you didn't know existed" 

- linda wooten

I know I don't know what Katie and Justin are going through.  I can't know.  I've never gone through something like this and I can't even begin to imagine how they are feeling and everything that they are going through and being forced to think about.
The least we can do is show them that we care -

Love them, pray for them, and be there for them.

 Katie is one strong woman and Lyndie is one lucky girl.

and though she be but little, she is fierce