Bursting at the Seams

The BIG project is complete...with success.

What a special experience it was to be a part of the Festival of Trees this year. It means a lot to me in so many ways. Primary Children's has been my home away from home for the past three years. In 2008, being a brand new registered nurse, I started my nursing career on the wonderful Children's Surgical Unit at Primary's. Being a nurse at Primary's has really given me perspective on life, as I have taken care of so many strong and brave families and their sick children. To be honest, I never thought I could be as strong as so many of these parents with sick children are. And I guess deep down I hoped I would never have to find out.

That February (can you believe we are coming up on a year?) afternoon, when my Hughie was transferred to Primary's, I felt some comfort knowing he was going to be in a place that was familiar. As I sat at the crib side of my son for almost a month, suddenly, my role changed. I was no longer the nurse, but the worried mother anxiously hoping my son would survive. And although my sweet son's time was short, I am grateful he received such great care from the NICU doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists. It's funny, as I often reflect on Hughie's condition, I realize at times it took me a while to really understand his condition, where had I been the nurse at his bedside, I would have realized what was going on a whole lot quicker. There is such a thing as nurse gear and mom gear :). Nevertheless, being a part of the Festival was a great way to keep Hughie's memory alive and to share a little part of him with the thousands of people who attended the festival. I couldn't have done any of this without great family and friends. I think it was therapeutic for all of us to work on this tree together. We had such a nice time the day we decorated...everyone was throwing up the decorations, I was stressing if they were going in the right spots, and low and behold, it turned out perfect.

A day doesn't go by that I don't hurt for Hughie. I don't think the longing to hold him and the homesickness for him will ever go away.

{Before the Fun Began!}

{The tree all complete..."Twinkle, twinkle, little star...take me where the cowboys are"}

{Hughie's sweet little hands}

{Busy getting all those ornaments on the tree}

{It really was a group effort}

{Ruby stayed occupied with dad, grandmas, aunts, and cousin Astrid...and climbing the ladder}