Lyla Leone Millard

Last Friday I snoozed my alarm more times than I ought and groggily took a shower. I went into my room to change and noticed my mom was calling. It's on the rare that she calls so early in the morning, so immediately my scooby doo ears raised and I answered very quickly. I then sat on my bed, crying, with Sven on my lap, Boris rubbing against my legs and Mike holding my hand while my mom told me that my new baby niece was going to have to be delivered 9 weeks early. Apparently the baby wasn't getting enough nutrients in utero as was expected for a baby at 31 weeks. The doctors said she was 5 cm smaller than typical growth. Courtney, my sister, was checked into the hospital Thursday night, they had given her a shot to help develop the baby's lungs. The doctors were hoping that the baby would stay stable enough to wait 48 hours for the steroid to be fully effective. My folks were on the way to Sioux City and I was immediately making plans to get on the road myself.

Three hours later I'd taken care of a few last minute things at work, Mike had gotten out of work for the weekend and we were on the road traveling across the rolling corn fields of Iowa. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. and went straight to the hospital. At this point, everyone was optimistic. The doctors had a plan and the baby's heart rate was stable. Courtney was pretty uncomfortable, forced to stay in bed with a heart rate monitor strapped too tightly around her stomach in order to locate her tiny baby's heart rate. We were all stressed, but happy to be together. Courtney's c-section was scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning.

Saturday morning, after a sleepless night that included a restless Lucia crawling into bed with us around 3 a.m., we were off again to spend the day keeping Cour and Drew company at the hospital. Between chess on the computer, white-board hangman and forced happy conversation, we passed the time. Everyone was nervous for the day and delivery that lay ahead, but we were all trying to stay strong for each other. We were so blessed by the outpouring of support from all corners of our collective life. Courtney, as usual, impressed me with her natural ability to stay collected and positive despite the stressful circumstances. We said goodnight and took Lucia back to the farm and had one more sleepless night.

Sunday morning, we headed back to the hospital. Waiting around for the baby to be born is not a feeling I want to experience again anytime soon. The boys had fallen into a deep computer chess addiction by this point, which was a welcome distraction for all of them. We had 'Father of the Bride' on in the waiting room to offer moments of repreive, but mostly we were tense to finally find out that both of our girls were doing well. Thankfully, that's exactly what happened.

The delivery went exactly as planned and Lyla let out a few delightful cries right as she was born. They immediately put in a breathing tube as a precaution and rushed her up to the NICU. The better part of an hour later and we were able to talk to an adequately-medicated Courtney, who was looking wonderful and feeling relieved for the best-case-senario birth of her 1 pound 6 ounce beautiful baby girl. Cour and Drew named her Lyla, after my father, Lyle. They chose Leone for her middle name, which has a long legacy on the Rambow side. It began with my grandma Donna Dee's mother, Leone who died when Grandma Donna Dee was just 16, was passed down to my aunt Ronna Leone, then to me, then to Ronna's grandaughter Sophie Leone (who was one of Mike's and my flower girls) and now to precious Lyla Leone. At the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, it is my sincere hope that the strength of the women in our family through the years will be passed onto Lyla and help her in the great struggle that lies ahead.

Today Lyla is 2 days old. She is doing incredibly well despite the circumstances. They have already removed her breathing tube and she is breathing on her own with the assistance of a nasal tube which allows her to breath natural air, but makes it easier for her to inhale. She has been upgraded from her IV to small normal feedings. Her lung and digestive functions are operating normally and she is very active, kicking and squirming. We could truly not be more thankful for how extrodinary Lyla is and how well things have been going thus far. Lyla will require the care of the incredible hospital staff for at least another six weeks. If things continue the way they have been going, we are very optimistic she will grow up to be a very healthy, bouncy little girl ready to jump in the lake in no time at all.

Thank you to everyone who has said a kind word or offered up a prayer for my darling niece. It is a very humbling feeling to have so many people in our lives who support and care for us.

xoxo c.