Itty Bit

Yes, this is a post about a stuffed bunny, but not just any stuffed bunny. This is Itty Bit. Reece's Itty Bit. You see, Itty Bit has been through it all. I'll start from the beginning. The day Nick and I found out we were having a boy, we of course wanted to go buy something. So, we headed to Sweet Dreams in Madison. After much contemplation, we settled on buying this little stuffed bunny/blankie with Itty Bit printed as his name. Down at the bottom was written "Best Friends Indeed." I remember Nick and I talking excitedly about our little boy loving this bunny. We envisioned him being dragged along the floor as our precious man walked around our house. I had really high hopes of them being "best friends indeed." Of course, this was all before we knew anything about Reece's condition. Well, Itty Bit was placed in the awaiting crib in the perfect nursery, until January 12, 2008. This was the day when Itty Bit would begin his very important role. That day was a whirlwind day of uncertainty and fear. Reece was whisked off to the NICU before I really was able to meet him. Later that night, Nick decided to make a quick run back to our house to pick up some things. I immediately told him to grab Itty Bit for Reece. He did, and we placed him in the little incubator with Reece. Now, I know that God was there watching out for our little boy for those 9 days, but for some silly reason, every time we visited Reece and I saw that little bunny in the corner of his bed, I felt a little relief. Is it possible that God used a stuffed bunny rabbit to bring me comfort? You know I believe that nothing is impossible with God, so, yes, I believe He did. From then on, I insisted that Itty Bit make all of Reece's surgeries. He has been in the bed with Reece every afternoon for nap and every night. I'll never forget seeing Reece being wheeled back from his knee surgery with Itty Bit right by his side. Now, Reece is almost 3. He still occasionally drags Itty Bit around the house after waking up, but since Disney, he has taken a real liking to his stuffed Nemo. Now, Itty Bit AND Nemo have to sleep with him, and Nemo is going for all of the car rides. I must admit, this breaks my heart a little, because you know what it means- he's growing up. The little boy that we weren't sure would live is growing up. The little boy who has been through 4 surgeries in his short life is growing up. The little boy who used to sleep in a Moses basket on our coffee table is growing up. The little boy whom I always made sure was tightly swaddled in a soft blanket is growing up. The little boy who has been through so much is growing up. It's so bittersweet. He has progressed so much farther than our wildest dreams, yet I miss all of those baby things. Do I have baby fever? As much as I don't want to admit it, yes, I do. The time's not right though. Nick and I are about to undergo some genetic testing to be sent to the lab in Germany where they will be able to further examine our chances of conceiving another Escobar baby. It could either be a 25% chance or less than 1% chance depending on the type of deletion they find on our gene. We will just be thankful for whatever God decides because we know it's His will. Reece was obviously given to us for a divine purpose, and we don't want to neglect that purpose in any way. Still, it would be nice to give Reece a sibling to share life with. That's my post for the day. Sentimental, I know. Maybe I'm a little crazy-attached to Itty Bit? The only thing keeping me from really being upset is the fact that Nemo was the little fish born with a bad fin, and he was able to achieve some great things. I have a feeling that our little "Nemo" will do the same thing :)

With love,

Beth