To Our Nurses

For nurses week I need to give a shout out to the nurses that have changed our lives.

I am 100% confident when I say that Caleb and I had the best nurses we could have possibly had.  This post is to those that were Caleb's primary nurses as well as those that weren't but still took care of him, along with the nurses that took care of me. From the bottom of my heart I would like to say thank you. Although I don't think those words are equal to just how thankful I truly am, I will try to express in words just how much you mean to our family. 

Shannon- Caleb's very first primary nurse. You are amazing at what you do. Your love for Caleb was evident in the way you took care of him. I love that you recognized things about him that helped the way in which he was cared for. Like that he ran hot. He got to the point where he didn't want to be swaddled anymore and you figured this out and made sure we knew. It took me a few days to believe you but eventually I came to realize that he was a hot mess a lot and wanted to be cooled off. Thank you for paying such close attention to those little things and making sure he was as comfortable as he could be. You brought a side of nursing that he needed with encouraging him to try new things. Like the boppy pillow, the vibrator under his mattress, and more. You were always looking for ways to nudge him to make progress developmentally. I will always cherish the talks we had at his bedside and the person that you are. Thank you for loving him, taking care of him and being with him. We were so blessed to have you as his nurse.

Adrianne- It was a good couple months before I found out you were Caleb's primary nurse. I had no idea that the reason we had you as his nurse so often was because you signed up to take care of him regularly. Nor did I realize then the impact you would have on him or our family. Thank you for signing up to take care of him despite how sick he was and for opening your heart to him as your own. Thank you for taking care of him day in and day out and being so incredibly wonderful with him. He loved you. I know he did.  I watched the way he responded to you and the

way he smiled at you and could see the bond that you shared. I will never forget how hard you worked when we were getting him ready for his tracheostomy. You worked your booty off and cried right along with us. Your compassion is beyond compare, a gift unlike any other. Thank you for coming to the hospital when he passed away and for being with us. Thank you for opening your heart to him and to our family. Our lives will never be the same because of you and what you have done for us. Your continued love and support to our family is incredible and we can't begin to tell you how much you mean to us. Thank you for being you, goodness I am so grateful for you. 

Dana- Thank you for being the amazing nurse you are.  Thank you for giving Caleb the love and attention you gave him. Thank you for explaining things to us and for being patient with him. You had a lot of experience with babies and trachs and that knowledge helped us a lot. You helped us to get more comfortable with going forward with his tracheostomy and knew how much he would benefit from it. I am so grateful for your love and guidance through that process. Thank you for playing him music and being by his side. I am so grateful that you were his nurse the day he passed. That we had someone and he had someone we were so familiar with. Thank you for being there with us when it was so very difficult and for being so compassionate. Thank you for the little things you thought of, the memory box, getting his room packed up and for just being such a wonderful nurse and person. We love you forever.

Jannetta- We are so happy that you ended up joining Caleb's team of primary nurses. You had him so often once he switched nurseries and got so used to seeing you that we were overjoyed you wanted to be a primary for him. The way you took care of Caleb and loved him was amazing to which we are so grateful. But what stands out most to me was the way you didn't forget my other children. The way you included them and went out to visit them in the waiting area, among many other things, was above and beyond.  Thank you for being the nurse and person you are. For the way you loved my girls along with Caleb. You have made a mark on all of our hearts and we are forever grateful. 

Cheryl-I wish I would have had the opportunity to spend as much time with his night nurses as I did with Caleb's daytime nurses. We did get to see you a lot when he was really small and we were always so impressed with the way you explained things and took care of him.  When we realized he didn't have night time primary nurses we instantly thought of you. Thank you for saying yes and agreeing to take care of our sweet baby boy. I know how much you talked to him and chatted with him during your shift. He is a good listener. I know how much he loved you because he would have such restful nights and oxygenated so well. You knew just how to make him comfortable and I am grateful he could spend his nights with someone as wonderful as you. I am forever grateful that you were working the night before he passed away. The quiet loving way you took care of him and loved him is a memory I will always cherish. Thank you for the priceless pictures you took for us spending that last night with him. They are among my treasured favorites.

Haylie- We also asked if you would be Caleb's primary night nurse and we are so happy you agreed. Your cheerful personality and sweet smile were a pleasure to be around. I am so glad Caleb got to spend so much time with someone like you.  Just hearing you give report on how he was doing always sounded so great with you on the other end of the phone. You have a way of positivity that is remarkable and a quality I know rubbed off on sweet Caleb. Thank you for taking such good care of him. Thank you for being so positive and talking with us about our concerns. You have such a way with people and are so grateful you chose to be a NICU nurse, Caleb's NICU nurse. 

Michele- I am sad that we only met you a few times. You took care of Caleb so often and we talked to you on the phone multiple times a week. Your voice is one that is sweet and calm and perfect for Caleb's bedtime. I'm sure your sweet voice helped him sleep at night and have wonderful dreams. Your love and kindness towards our son was amazing and we couldn't be more thankful. Thank you for agreeing to take care of him. We know he was not easy to take care of with his ventilator and all the complications that came because of his small lungs. The difficulties he had and scary moments were not easy and we are so thankful you were up to the challenge. 

To all those nurses that weren't his Primaries I still want to thank you. Caleb had so many people that loved and cared for him. That checked on him and peeked in on him when they were at work. So many nurses that prayed for him. So many of you helped prep him for surgery, helped bag him when he had problems, gave him CPR, helped with his trach, helped with meds and a million other things. There are so many of you that took such amazing care of him. Thank you for choosing nursing, for being amazing nurses and for loving our son and family. We are so grateful for each and every one of you. 

To the nurses I had the pleasure of having I want to thank you for the way in which you took care of me and did all you could to help me stay pregnant as long as possible. I never would have thought I would have so many people take care of me. You arent just ordinary people you are extraordinary. Thank you for all the things you did daily. Thank you for choosing nursing and taking care of patients like me in such a kind and compassionate way. I am overcome with gratitude that I was able to have each of you as a nurse and make such an impact on my life. Thank you so very much. 

Caleb and I spent 10 months combined in the hospital. We had nurses for a total of 276 days. Between us we had more than 552 nursing shifts. And we couldn't have asked for better nurses to care for us. The love, care, compassion, and kindness we were shown in those 10 months are immeasurable. We will always have a special place in our hearts for our nurses. I know Caleb watches over you and that he loves you as much as I do. 

Much love, 

Leah, Caleb and Fam