Ok....I have been patiently waiting to do this post for quite some time now. I had to make sure I was in the clear with the parents before I posted their little angels photos. Thankfully I was able to square everything away today.
This whole thing started with the experience of me having my little babe at 28 weeks gestation. I was so genuinely grateful for everything the Newborn Intensive Care Unit did for us. They were so kind, gentle, quick to see our fears/concerns and were able to appease us as much as possible. They made us feel so special, as if our little guy was the most important baby in the world. We were able to see how each nurse cared for him and truly loved their job. They made it a point to express that their caring of our little angel was not just a job to them. They acted as if he were their own child.
I brain-stormed for days trying to think of a way to repay them. A plate of cookies along with a card just didn't seem to be enough. One night I awoke from a dead sleep. Somehow I had come up with this brilliant plan. I knew exactly what to do!! I could give back with photography. I had taken some special pictures of Lincoln when he came home from the hospital and then put together a birth announcement. I loved one of the photos so much I even had it enlarged and printed on a canvas gallery wrap that now hangs in his room. Lincoln's scar from his surgery was still visible on his head, but I didn't want to alter it in anyway. It was who he was....he wore his battle wounds proudly and I, as his mother, wasn't afraid to see them. I wanted other mothers to have the same experience I did. I wanted to be able to take pictures of the babies when they had freshly been released from the NICU and have them be able to display the great triumph these babies had finally achieved.
One of the guardian angels who took care of my Lincoln happened to also go to church with us. With her help, my idea was presented to the manager at the NICU. He immediately loved the idea and agreed that it was something he would love to have happen. It's almost been two years since Lincoln was completely discharged from the hospital, but I got a call a few months ago saying they wanted to push forward with the plan. I was super lucky enough to be able to photograph two babies who still resided in the NICU. Their photos, along with a few of Lincoln's and also others, will be displayed through out the halls and nursery of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. I am so elated that this gift I dreamed up has finally come true and is in the process of happening.
These particular photos may or may not be the ones displayed in the hospital. They are still in the selecting process!
And the two that will be displayed of Lincoln
