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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The In Between

I'm stuck.

Not literally; don't worry. I stopped trying to hide from thunderstorms under the couch last year so I haven't been stuck like that in a while.

This is a different kind of stuck. The kind where you're happy and sad at the same time, anxious and excited all day, tired and energized for hours.

Ever since Joshua was born, I had been waiting for May 1st. I wanted to be able to say that we were finally in the month where I could take him home. But he most likely won't be home until June now. Which is fine. I mean, I'd prefer he be home right now, but June is okay.

But I've been waiting for May 1st for months. And it came and went and nothing changed. I was kind of disappointed but I also saw it coming.

Now I'm kind of at a loss as to what to look forward to. Not that there isn't anything to look forward to. I just spent so much time waiting for May 1st. Now everything seems more uncertain. I don't have a plan or goal in mind because I really don't know when Josh will come home.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not upset. I mean, these days I'm always upset about something, but this news doesn't especially depress me. It's just like if you were waiting to receive a package in the mail, and it was supposed to arrive on March 8th, and on March 8th you sat next to your mailbox and waited for the post man, but when he got to your house he told you he had no packages for you. You know the package is on its way. It should be there any day. But you're kind of stuck. Do you wait by the mailbox every day? Do you go to the mall to pass the time? Do you just try to enjoy your regular life in the mean time until your package arrives? Any of those answers could work, depending on who you are.

So I guess I just have to change my approach. Instead of setting a long-term goal, I need to go back to short-term ones. Josh has to grow. He has to breathe better. He has to start eating and battle acid reflux. These are things that could take days or weeks or months - there's no way to know for sure. That's the difficult part. For all I know I'll arrive at his room today to see him breathing on his own and taking a bottle. Or he could need more breathing help than he did yesterday.

It's a weird place to be. I'm excited for each step that he takes but I also know better than to get too attached to any progress because he could take steps backward anytime. I know that sounds pessimistic but it's just the way life in the NICU goes. So I just wait. I wait for the doctors to tell me what the plan is. I wait for Joshua to get bigger and stronger. I wait for another goal to work for. And until then, I just kind of hang out in between.

And read lots and lots of books.


12 comments:

  1. Awww sweet baby! I haven't been thru what you're going thru ever and it seems like it would be so hard and you guys are so strong from what I can see/hear! You're already great parents that have had to put aside your normal lives to give this baby 100% of yourselves so when he does come home that will be already done! He's a lucky little guy to have so many people love him and keep checks on him everyday! Maybe you need a new hobby you could do at the hospital like some kinda cross-stitch or some new craft that's out there that I don't even know about! (I bet you have lots of pics you could put in scrapbooks already too!) Your blogs are great! Keep writing and entertaining! Praying Josh gets big and strong real soon!! Take care!!

    Julie Chancey

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    1. That's a good idea! My friend crochets while she is at the NICU. I usually read but maybe an activity would be helpful.

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  2. Waiting is excruciating. It is. And you're right, we can't do a darn thing about it, so we wait.

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    1. It's insane. I am not a patient person by nature. I guess maybe this is how I will learn :)

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  3. Waiting totally sucks. But hopefully it helps to look back over the pictures of Joshua and see, like those of us who don't get to see him daily as you do, how VERY MUCH he has grown!! He looks so beautiful and is so blessed to have his mama there with him every step of the way. Praying for you!

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    1. I do love to go back and look at pictures!

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  4. Hang in there, step by step. You'll get there and it will be worth it. You would much rather wait a little longer and have him home for good, than to get him home too soon and have to rush him back. Just ,, one step.. one step.. one step..

    you can do this.. we all know you can. You're a Mom.. you can do anything..

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    1. Yes, so true. The only thing worse than waiting to have him come home would be to have to bring him right back. Thank you!

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  5. Aww. You baby is beautiful and you will all be home as a family . Hang in there. Love and hugs!

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    1. Thank you :) We will all be together soon!

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