"To All the Girls I've Loved Before..."
2-14-2007
Dear Nurses,
Today is a very special day. My mommy told me that it has been exactly three weeks ago today that I left the hospital.
It was really sad to say goodbye to all of my sweet nurses.
I remember wondering why everyone was hugging me extra tight and taking so many pictures of me.
Nurse Evelyn and Nurse Bonnie told me I was going to an even better place where there was a lot of fun waiting for me. Boy, were they right!
They also made us promise to write sometimes and let them know how I was doing.
My mommy says that when you make a promise, you'd better do your best to keep it, so here goes......
When I first came home, I was really excited.
There was a lot to see and so many interesting things to investigate.
I didn't know what I was missing when I was so sick, I guess.
There are some very fun people who live in this house--imagine how happy I was to find out that they all belong to me!
(Click here to see just how happy I was.)
First, there is my oldest brother
Benjamin.
He is a Teenager.
I don't really know what that means, but he has something called a Social Life that keeps him pretty busy.
He plays the drums, which are very loud, but he always waits until I'm done taking my naps so he doesn't wake me up. My mommy says that he sleeps as much as I do.
He is a cool dude, but he never minds
hanging out with me or
feeding me when I'm hungry--I think he understands what it feels like to have a big appetite!
Next is
my sister Kirsten.
There is only one girl in this family, so all of us boys have to make sure we treat her like a princess.
She has some really long hair that I just love to yank on when she snuggles with me!
She likes to pick out my clothes to wear, which helps me 'cuz I don't know how to match my shirts with my pants and my brothers tell me that is what girls are good at.
I also really like it when she
reads books to me.
She knows how to use special voices to keep the stories interesting.
You already know about my brother Devon.
My mommy and daddy told me he saved my life with his blood, so he is my hero.
Devon likes to
push me around and around the house in my walker, which he calls the "Jaymun Mobile".
I love it when he goes super fast!
My brother Sean is my bestest buddy when everyone else is at school.
Sometimes he has preschool, but I really like the days when he gets to stay home with Mommy and me.
He is a good helper 'cuz he always tells her when I need to drink some milk or take a nap.
Sean makes sure my heart is doing okay so he
listens to me with my stethoscope sometimes.
I also love to give him kissy smooches--he always giggles when I
slurp on his cheek!
Mostly I hang out with my mommy.
I try to make sure she doesn't get bored, so I keep her busy with changing lots of diapers, feeding me, and giving me my medicines.
She says I'm lucky I'm so cute, especially when I want her to snuggle me in the middle of the night!
After my daddy gets home from work, I get really excited. He is a fun guy--he likes to
toss me around and he makes me shriek really loud!
One of my favorite things is when he holds me up to
watch the fish swim around and around.
When I go to the clinic for checkups, the doctors say I am doing fantastic.
They are very proud of me for getting back to business and guzzling down my milk again.
No more NG tube for me! My mommy says that is great news because she was getting tired of me pulling it out of my nose all the time.
I still have to take a lot of yucky medicine, which I do not like at all.
I am glad I am done with the Cyclosporine, because it was very nasty tasting.
Nurse Bonnie saw me last week and laughed at all the funny hair I grew, but she should know it is not my fault I have
bushy eyebrows like Oscar the Grouch, it is from that medicine.
My family thinks it is nice to see me starting to get some hair back on my head.
They say it feels soft and fuzzy, like a baby kitten.
I miss you all very much, but I am also very happy at home with my family.
My bed is warm and soft and I can sleep as much as I want without people waking me up to squeeze me with blood pressure cuffs and probe cold thermometers into my armpits.
There are also no bright flashlights or beeping machines to drive us crazy.
Maybe I will come and visit you sometime later just to say hello.
Right now I have to stay healthy and keep away from germs.
The doctors think that maybe I can start to go places in April when the weather gets warmer.
That would make my mommy so excited to be able to take me out!
Today is a day for telling people how much you love them.
I can't talk yet, but I can still
show you just how much I love you with my famous grin.
See? My family always shows me pictures of my nurses so I will never forget the people who helped me get better.
Nurse Evelyn was sure smart when she said home was best. I'm glad I got the chance to find out for myself.
And even though it was sad to say goodbye when I left, I know you are all happy for me.
I hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day.
I hope you get lots of yummy chocolate (at least I hear it's delicious, 'cuz right now the only thing I eat is mushy rice cereal and bananas!).
I hope you also get some extra sloppy kisses and squishy hugs today.
But most of all, I hope that when you remember me, it makes you smile.
Love,
Baby Jaymun
XOXOXOXOX
