NICU reunion

Every spring the NICU at Children's holds a reunion. Previous clients/ tenants/ graduates return to their old stomping grounds to visit with the doctors and nurses, have a piece of cake, and - of course - show their photo album to anyone who's interested.

It is a terrific trip down memory lane.

Even the smell of the obligatory hand sanitizer foam at the door is etched in your head and takes you back to a time when your life revolved around a small incubator with a computer screen streaming real-time statistics. It is also a nice time to interact with people who share an experience. Everyone has a story that is uniquely their own yet similar to everyone else's.

It is also a time to take stock of how lucky we were two years ago when the stakes were high and outcomes seemed random. Yet the place and the returning graduates exude hope and optimism.

And M liked the guy in the parrot costume...