Samuel's 1st "Un-Birthday"

As of October 29, 2015 I can say that Samuel has been home for one year!  In preemie world, this day is called many things - "Un-Birthday", "Welcome Home Day", "HomeAversary", and so on.  No matter what it's called, this day means the same to all preemie parents.  It's the day that we'd dreamed of for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years.  The day we were able to bring our precious baby home.  The baby that lived day in and day out under the watchful eyes of amazing doctors and nurses.  

For those who have never experienced this, it's very hard to explain to emotion of finally being told it's okay to take your baby home.  With Matthew, we had the typical hospital stay, the wheelchair ride down to the front of the hospital while waiting for Mike to bring around the car, and the anxious car ride home with our new family member.  With Samuel, I had the wheelchair ride down the front of the hospital (per nurses order), but left empty-handed and with a huge hole in my heart.  It is so unnatural for a momma to have to leave her baby and make frequent visits throughout the day.  While we were in a good routine of our Samuel visits, his "Un-Birthday" represents the day that we no longer had to drive 20 minutes to see him.  We no longer had to call for an update in the middle of the night.  We no longer had to split our time between our two boys.  We were together as a family of 4, under the same roof, for the first time.

In order to celebrate this HUGE accomplishment, we gathered with family and friends at the Schaefers and Collins Pumpkin Patch.  It was a time to just let the kids run around and play and enjoy each others company.  It was perfect!  The weather was amazing, it wasn't too muddy, and the food was yummy!  Samuel will not remember it, but it holds a special place in my memory.  Thankfully, because I came away with only 3 pictures - oops!  I'm looking forward to celebrating Samuel's "Un-Birthday" every year because it is the day that our family felt complete and the hole in my heart was mended.

 Can you tell that Matthew is in a fun stage with picture taking?

LOVE my little Super Sam!