Happy 1st anniversary of your homecoming Neva Elizabeth. Yes we are two days late recognizing this, but that's ok because we have had a lot going on lately with family pictures, family colds, and the Miracle Walk.
You were the one that I was the most excited about (sorry boys - this was before I knew how awesome you are!), you were the one that I was the most ready to meet and build a relationship with...and apparently you felt the same way as you refused every medical attempt to stop your entrance into this world. You gave everyone quiet a scare for a bit of time when suddenly no one could find you in my stomach, you and your heartbeat had vanished ... of course everyone knows where the doctor found you and you have the bruises to prove it! My first memory of you is laying in the operating room wondering why it was taking so long to get you out, why didn't I hear you crying, again where were you??? When I finally asked when you were coming out they said "She's been out - look to your left" and I saw two tiny feet surrounded by doctors and nurses. Immediately I went into mom mode and said "why isn't she crying? what's wrong with her?" and they assured me you were fine, just tiny and needing some help at the moment. The black and blue bruises along with how swollen you were broke our hearts. You were the strongest of the three, requiring an oxygen/cpap mask for 1 day and then transitioning to the nasal cannula.
We were able to hold you the evening of August 2nd, one day after you were born. No one was prepared, it was such a great surprise. Nana was there and ran back to the room for the camera as we got setup. Your nurse was from Rockingham just like Nana so they kept chatting away while inside I was screaming "JUST GIVE ME MY BABY!" You were such a tiny peanut, about 2lbs 4oz and felt like nothing in our arms. Like nothing but also like everything. From that day forward we held you everyday.
You moved out of the big room very quickly as you showed how healthy you were. You never gave us any scares like your brothers did, except when you lingered around the 2lbs mark for a few days. You slept and sometimes opened your eyes and gave little cries when you wanted your passie. One of us would be at your isolette and you would start to cry, we would open all of the little doors so we could really hear you, it was the sweetest little kitten cry. We lived for those moments! Everyone told us that we would get our fill of you crying but it hasn't happened yet.
August 23rd, the first time you were given a bottle. Again I can remember it with total detail. I was standing at the scrub sink washing up and Nanette (a nurse I had never met - who would become a second mother to me) yells from your room "Mrs. Groves! Mrs. Groves!! Neva is ready for the bottle and we have been waiting on you!" It was so exciting! I didn't get to give you that bottle, she did it, but I got to sit, watch, and learn. Then as soon as you got it you lost your bottle for a few weeks because you went through this long phase of projectile spit up! You even had a note on your isolette to be careful after feedings or you would get sprayed! The nurses got a kick out of you spraying the doctors during their rounds! 
You spent most of September sleeping and growing. When it was time for your bottle you would either sleep through it OR be too busy taking in the world to eat. We named you Nosy Neva (still use it today) because as soon as you came out of the crib you were looking at everything except your bottle. My frustration with you lasted for weeks. At times the nurses did the feedings for me because I would get so upset. You could have been home ONE FULL MONTH EARLIER if you would have just eaten. Towards the end we all agreed that you just wanted to stay and look after Jackson, you decided to let Matthew go first instead.
Your discharge came as a big shock. To this day I believe that the doctors were just so sick of me nagging them that they sent you home to shut me up! The first bottle you finished was on September 28th - only 6 days before you came home. Auntie and Uncle Lenny were here when we got the news. Uncle Lenny stayed home with Matthew while Auntie and I went to get you. We were so unprepared that Dad didn't think he could get away from work to meet us at the hospital. I remember telling him that I had Auntie here to help me, we could only do the best we could and his reply was "Melissa that's not good enough - how many times will I bring my daughter home from the hospital?" As you can see he made it along with ensuring his outfit matched the occasion!
We had just gotten the hang of having one baby in the house and two scared us to death. While Matthew ate like a champ, you were such a challenge. It took so long to feed you, it would run all out of your mouth so we had to take it away every few sucks, you took so long to burp ... but you were so sweet. You have had us wrapped around that itty bitty 2lb 6oz finger since the day you were born!
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