Bonding in the NICU

Seventeen years ago today I became Grandma for the fifth time and my youngest son, Preston, became Dad for the first time. Ki Alexandor Fleming was born around 5 p.m. at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. He was several weeks early; a preemie.
I was working for The Graham Group located at 810 Grand Avenue - from there just a short walk up the hill to the hospital. At 5 p.m. I left work and went to the maternity ward waiting room to join the other grandparents. I didn't have to wait too long. We got a quick look at the baby before he was whisked away to the neo-natal intensive care unit. It was the beginning of a scary time for me.
Later in the evening when his parents and I were allowed in to see him, I was appalled at the sight of the nearly naked little form inside the isolette. Other than a diaper, he was wearing only a mask over his eyes - to protect them from the bright warming lamps. What got to me the most was the IV inserted into the top of his head. I had never been in a NICU before.
Around 8 p.m., one of the Drs. decided he needed to be intubated. I told the kids I would stay there with Ki while they did that. Preston took Shalea back to her room. There was no way I could actually watch the intubation. I walked over to a window and looked out into the night. In the reflection, I could see them working over the baby. I made a promise to the little guy: "If you live, I will somehow make what you're going through up to you."
Each day on my lunch hour I made the journey up the hill. After scrubbing and gowning, I would be allowed into the NICU. At first all we could do was sit beside the isolette, reach in an touch his little hand. The nurses encouraged us to talk to him. He was taken off the respirator. I watched as they fed him through a tube. Everything was carefully recorded.
Becoming a regular visitor made me realize how lucky we were. Some of the babies didn't survive. Another new mother was anxiously awaiting taking her little boy home. He had already been there three months, weighing slightly two pounds at birth.
Finally Shalea got to hold Ki and feed him. And then, so did I. After three weeks they got to take him home. Happy, happy day!
Last week this little boy brought me his senior pictures. He is more than six feet tall and wears size 14 shoes. Over the years he's given me a lot of joy and a few other minor scares. There has always been a special bond between us. It began in the NICU.