One Day at a Time

During our time in the NICU, the piece of advice I heard over and over was this: "Take one day at a time." It was for good reason...when you think about the big picture, it is just too much and too overwhelming.  Our youngest son Anders was born at 24 weeks gestation and weighed only 1 lb 9 ounces.  My beginning days at St. Elizabeth's were terrible...sitting in a dark room, hearing alarm after alarm go off, and seeing my tiny baby in a box.  I used to hate holding him because it was so scary. There were so many cords and it took at least two people to make sure that everything was connected to where it should be, etc.  I would sit there for the hour that I was allowed to hold him literally not moving.  I didn't notice until the nurses put him back how tense I actually was.  As time went on, it didn't necessarily get easier, but I did get more used to it.  I really did take the advice of one day at a time seriously.

It seemed like our finish line with Anders would be the day that we brought him home from the NICU. And yes, that was a great milestone.  It is so nice to have our family together in the same home and same town.  However, we have a whole new set of hurdles at home.  It is still a difficult balancing act trying to get Anders to all of his appointments while making sure that Quinn is cared for as well.  This week alone, we had five doctor's appointments.  Anders visits the pulmonolgist, eye doctor, gastric specialist, pediatrician, NICU follow-up clinic, gets a synagis shot each month to protect him from RSV, and receives home visits from Seward Public Schools and ESU 6 to monitor development.  Yesterday, as we were leaving our appointment in Omaha (only to find out that we'd have to schedule several more appointments there) and heading to Lincoln for our next doctor's appointment, I broke down once again.  I cried and cried until my body was so exhausted that there was nothing left.  Luckily, Philip was able to come to this appointment and reminded me of what I've heard so many times, but yet seemed to forget.  He said, "Addie, think about your training...it seems overwhelming to think about all of the miles and workouts you have to put in.  When you run, you take it one mile at a time...you don't think about the fact that you have 150 miles to put in this month.  You need to do the same with Anders...one appointment at a time.  One DAY at a time."

Running has been an extremely positive outlet for me as I've dealt with the struggles of these last seven months.  Not only do I physically feel better after I've run, but the races I've been able to compete in have also helped my heart begin to heal and help me with my ability to deal with our day to day life.  I think it is for this reason that I have not missed any of my long runs and have found a way to work out almost every day, regardless of what we have going on.  Runners are some of the most wonderful people, and I've truly enjoyed spending time with my friends at races.  I am eternally grateful to everyone who has offered our family continuous love and support.

We are about a month and a half away from the Lincoln Marathon.  Training is starting to get harder and longer.  Whether you have multiple 10 or 20 milers (depending on if you are running the half or full), remember to take one day, one MILE, at a time.  You can do it!

Happy Running!