Love, Dad

C and R dad - 12:07am Jan 15, 2005 EST

I visited this site today out of curiousity but was struck by the wonderful stories. My twin sons are now 6 years-old. It seems a strange combination of a very short time and a very long time since we were in the NICU. Of the 3 monthes in the NICU, some memories stand out vividly, some have faded. It was not what we were expecting...

My sons had all the very long lists of problems associated with being being born extremely premature at about 25 weeks. The trials and tribulations of having very sick, NICU-bound children were as gut wrenching as they come, the least of which was learning a whole new vocabulary of medical terms and abbreviations. What was clearly understood at the time was that life hung in the balance every day, as their body weight slipped to 25 ounces. It was only after the first 40 days in the NICU, days in which breathing and heart monitors flat-lined all to often, that we began to be able to focus a bit more on longer term issues.

It was a happy yet unnerving day when the boys came home from their subsequent month long stay in peds, where I learned to care for them. It was not until months later that both boys were diagnosed with cerebral palsy. CP. An abbreviation that will be remembered above all others. Letters hammered into your body like nails. Letters that you don't understand, deny, hate, then finally, accept. The boys have come a long way and at about 65 pounds it is unbelieveable to see how they have grown. I know I am speaking to the right group when I say they are our "little miracles."

John