At the start of the walk, one of the NICU nurses was seeking out dads to wear a purple tutu. Mark got tagged. He received many, many comments from walkers and passers-by all morning. He was a good sport about it. Don't those hairy legs look great in a skirt?
Unlike last year, Gulliver stayed awake during the entire walk.
We saw so many of the NICU staff near and dear to us - even more than last year. Drs. Aldoretta and Garmany were both there. And so many nurses... Pam, Karen, and Natalie (the first three nurses we met at St. Mary's who tended to Gulliver when he was at his smallest and most critical period); Sherri, Gary, Therese, and others I am forgetting to mention. We saw both of the OT's, Missy & Theresa, who worked with Gulliver. And we saw Gulliver's guardian angel, Linda.
Linda was the Nurse Practioner on duty the morning Gulliver was born. She was the third person to touch our little boy... right after Dr Bonney and the hand-off nurse. Linda was the one on deck to receive Gulliver. She was in charge. She cleared all his fluids, intubated him, weighed him, and got him settled into the isolette for transport to St. Mary's Hospital. She made sure that Mark and I had time to meet and touch our little boy. She took photos with a disposable camera so that we would have physical memories of Gulliver's birth day. She escorted Gulliver via ambulance, airplane, and another ambulance to the NICU. She continued to follow Gulliver's progress throughout his hospital stay. She was amazing.
Nurse Sherri started a new tradition last year... all the preemie participants trace their hand onto a large piece of material. Then she embroiders it with their birth date and the date of the event. We traced Gulliver's hand right next to the one we did last year. My how it has grown!
Gulliver also got to meet a special friend for the very first time. Delaney Rose was born in Gunnison three months after Gulliver. She arrived 14 weeks early, weighed under 2 lbs, was immediately transported to St. Mary's Hospital, and stayed there for 80 days. Her first weeks were rougher than Gulliver's. Her family was by her side the entire time. She went home (on Mark's birthday) a happy, healthy baby. Delaney's mom and I have shared a special connection from the beginning. And it was fun for our two little preemies to finally meet.
After the walk, we went back to the hotel for some pool time and play time.
The hotel was a zoo... a LaCrosse tournament drew families throughout the Western Slope to GJ for the weekend. Kids were everywhere!
Gulliver thrived on the activity. He held his own in the loud, crowded swimming pool and trapsed through the common areas like he owned the joint. When we awoke Sunday morning, he immediately wanted to leave the room. He was most content when he was out in the thick of things.
We all enjoyed our weekend in Grand Junction. And it's nice to be home....
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