Marching On

We participated in the March for Babies this past Saturday.



It was a rainy day.



We did not make any new friends like we hoped we would, but, like I said, it was a cold, rainy day. Nobody wants to stand around and chat in the rain. It was still an amazing experience to be surrounded by so many people who have been touched by prematurity. I'd look at the kids bundled up in wagons and strollers and wonder which of them spent nights in the NICU. Just one? Or, as in our case, all of them? And how many babies weren't there that day? How many are still in the hospitals?



During the opening announcements, when a singer belted out the National Anthem, I lost it. I  couldn't stop crying for the rest of the speeches. My tears blended with the fine mist of rain as I held Poppy's hands and helped her toddle around near the Chariot. The announcers standing on the dry stage were talking about the sheer number of walkers that day, in the past, in our local area, and everywhere. So many babies. Rosemary and Poppy are two success stories. But, as the yellow "In Memory" signs we saw at the end of the march pointed out, not all babies are so lucky. I am so very thankful.


My beautiful family.

Senpai mentioned places we could go eat lunch after the 3.1 mile walk. His most poignant idea was to go to the shopping center next to the hospital Rosemary and Poppy were delivered at, where many a lunch had been eaten before. It was a lovely idea, but I was cold, wet, and cranky. All I wanted to do was go home and curl up under blankets while nursing Poppy to sleep. My emotions were already fried; another punch to my heart would have sent me over the edge. So we went home. We stripped off rain-soaked clothes, I cuddled Poppy close under the covers, and we both drifted off to sleep together, counting our blessings.


We will do this again next year, hopefully in nicer weather.