After four months of having a tube down her nose and still not learning to eat, Delaney went to Riley and the tube that drove her crazy was replaced with a g-tube in her stomach. While it was a bummer to take that turn, the surgery was much needed and would spell a much easier road with less time spent feeding and a baby that didn't scream constantly.
Somehow we got a jump on the season and sent Thanksgiving letters instead of Christmas cards. I don't know how I managed to do that and am always scrambling at the last minute to get our cards out these days. Anyway, Steve, Delaney, and I are standing by the fireplace just before her surgery. She has adhesive tape below her baby nose, holding the tube in place. For our family photo, Steve decided we needed to wear matching adhesive tape below our noses. We are all three sporting a milk mustache look, Delaney with a tube attached. From a photographer's standpoint, the picture is not so great, but the memory is forever preserved. I get requests on occasion to pull out that picture and letter, which gave us a chance to thank everyone who had been there for us. We truly would have been lost without the blessing of family and friends.
So this year, maybe, just maybe, I'll get our cards out early. It might not be at Thanksgiving, but we just edited our photos and will design our card soon. The moral to this blog: thank someone who's helped you through, and ask us to take your family photo!
P.S. Thanks, Kussows (pictured), our long-time friends. You were in the trenches with us from the beginning. We'll never forget the hospital visits and the many acts of love and kindness you have shown us and Delaney over the years. It was a pleasure photographing your family. Our girls are beautiful!
The guys and their girls at Turkey Run in 1998
