She came twelve weeks early.
She turns ten this year. She runs cross-country. She yells at her brother. And sometimes, when she sleeps, I still count her breaths. Old habits from a year that taught me the only truth I know: the ones who arrive too early are often the ones who teach you how to hold on. premature -2014-
The world outside kept spinning. The radio in the waiting room played "Happy" by Pharrell. Someone had left a half-eaten bag of Cool Ranch Doritos on the arm of the chair. I stared at the clock above the NICU door. It ticked in seconds, but we were living in minutes. She came twelve weeks early