Monday, November 25, 2013

Full Circle

After plotting, planning, meeting, talking, dreaming ...... it finally happened.  My proposed gift to the NICU, where Lincoln was taken care of for so long, finally happened.  I was so proud, flattered, honored, elated that this really happened.  I'm not sure if I've told the whole story, so I'll do it now.  If I'm repeating myself, please forgive me.

After Lincoln was finally discharged from his four month stay in the NICU, I knew I had to do something special for all the angels that saved his life.  After all, they had done so much for us .... transported him back and forth from the children's hospital 60 minutes away THREE times was a big one, aside from the other obvious big one.

One night I went to sleep with this thought weighing very heavily on my mind.  I knew a plate of cookies with a thank you card just wasn't enough.  I racked my brain trying to think of something I could give them that would make my wish complete.  The next morning, I awoke from a deep sleep.  I figured it out!! Photography!! I would give them my gift of photography.  I had already taken Lincoln's "newborn" pictures by this point and had one enlarged and printed.  I came up with my game plan and presented it to one of the nurses that took care of me before I even had Lincoln, and then him once he was born.  She loved the idea.  She borrowed his picture and presented the idea to the manager in the NICU.  They loved the idea too.  Originally they came up with a little twist to what I was thinking, but eventually settled on another idea.  They asked current employees and some past patients to submit photographs of babies, both former NICU patients and non-NICU children.  I went in one day and took multiple pictures of two, at that time, current babies in the NICU.  I also submitted a few photographs of Lincoln in the NICU, as well as a few newborn photographs I had taken of my other babies and client's babies.

They narrowed it down and then it was time to start planning where to put them and what sizes.  After our first initial meeting, we had to put the project on hold.  They had decided to remodel the NICU.  After that had been all squared away, we finally met a few more times, figured out which pictures, then figured out how big they would be and where they would all go.  Of course they were all going to be enlarged and printed as canvas gallery wraps.

After ordering all the photographs, we had them delivered to my home.  It was so fun to see all of them sitting on the front porch.  I was ecstatic and loved every minute of it!  I took all the canvases out to examine them before delivering them.  I had Scott come with me to hang them.  Not long after, the NICU had an open-house to show off the expansion and remodel.  It was so fun to walk along on the tour and see all of my hard work!  In all, there were 23 canvases.

These photographs were taken by me.  
The first one is my nephew and the other two are NICU babies.

No comments: