Hope is here

I'm going admit that I have been in a bah-humbug mood lately, not looking forward to the holidays, not looking forward to much! But now I have some motivation and a little bit more energy to keep going. This motivation came in a big, yet incredibly tiny, way:

On Sunday night, December 7th, around 11.40pm, my niece, Hope Vivian Robinson, came into the world. She is beautiful in every way and quite amazing. The only problem is that she came into the world roughly 15 weeks early. She weighed in at 1lb 8oz and measured 12.25 inches long.

Hope: Day 1

Hope is a blessing, a miracle for our family. In May, my brother and sister-in-law were pregnant and lost their baby at 20 weeks. Going through that has made them stronger than before, and then becoming pregnant again, finding out she was pregnant with a healthy baby, that gave them hope that they would be able to start the family they have dreamed about.

Three weeks ago, they found out that they didn't have very much hope. Sarah (my sister-in-law), has been on complete bedrest for 3 weeks because they doctors had found some problems. During the past 3 weeks Sarah and Andrew and our family have been praying, and leaning on the little sliver of hope that the baby would be ok. Fortunately Sarah was in a great hospital with a high-risk unit and a Neonatal ICU right there as well. On Sunday there was no more waiting, Hope needed to come out. After an emergency c-section, Hope was here at last!! She is able to breathe on her own but is currently intubated with some machines helping to make the breathing easier for her so she can keep growing.

We are all so grateful that she is healthy, and that she is here. But there is a long road ahead for Hope, as well as the proud parents Andrew and Sarah. Every day is a big deal in Hope's life and every prayer or good thought will not be wasted. Sarah went home from the hospital today, but she didn't have her baby with her, Hope will have to stay for a few months. This is going to be a rough time for everyone, but seeing how beautiful and strong Hope is will probably be what helps get everyone through the rough times. We feel as though there is no more fitting name for this baby than Hope.

With the holidays rapidly approaching and the New Year coming I'm so thankful for everything and everyone in my life, but most importantly I'm thankful for Hope's life and the strength that she has. But she can't do it alone. We'd all greatly appreciate a minute of your time for a prayer or positive thought. All we have to lean on right now is Hope (and our friends and family too).