home for the holidays

Van's due date was November 20th, 2009.  You can imagine our surprise when my water broke at 5 a.m. on October 19th.  Could this be happening or did I just wet the bed? Evans and I hadn't completed our birthing classes so we weren't entirely sure what to do.  We placed a frantic call to the doctor... who assured us we would have a baby that morning.

We flew to the hospital and attempted to call family members and close friends. A brief visit in triage confirmed I needed emergency surgery to remove Van, who was still in breech position.

By 9:30 a.m.... our lives had changed forever!

Lawrence Evans Lackey IV

5.5 Lbs

19.5 Inches

About an hour after birth,Van  had a small amount of fluid in his lungs affecting his oxygen saturation levels. Two hours in the NICU turned into two weeks...

Those 2 weeks were the longest of Evans' and my life...driving to the hospital every 3 hours to ensure Van had breastmilk and his parents' love during each feeding.  Van underwent a series of minor difficulties common to premature babies.

But finally...on November 2nd, we got the best news...

Our Van was coming home.

We have never been more excited.

Our excitement blinded us from comprehending the trials of parenting coming in the weeks ahead...