NORAH MARIE FRIESEN

This is the reason we were anxious to head home. Norah Marie was born March 15, 2008 at the St Boniface hospital in Winnipeg to Kristy and Graham. She was born 9 1/2 weeks early and so we had some anxious moments when we heard that she was on the way. She weighed in at 3 lbs 13 oz, and was 16-17 inches long, and has been doing well since then although she is still in the NICU at St. B. Needless to say, some days I would have rather been home than on holiday far away, but she was being well taken care of and so were Kristy and Graham. We made daily calls home and Graham faithfully posted updates, pictures and videos on their blog so we could feel connected and we really appreciated that. However, we were anxious to see the kids and meet this little lady who had already stolen our hearts, and we hadn't even laid eyes on her and so, as soon as the plane landed and we had all our stuff, we headed off to the hospital. I thought I had prepared myself as to how small she would be, but she was tinier than I thought , but oh, so precious!

These pictures are taken when she was about 3 weeks old, and in a different pod in the NICU. She is doing well and has passed her birth weight and is now over 4 lbs. She still has a ways to go before she can come home and certain milestones to reach, but each day is one day closer to that time.

So far, Grammy Jo hasn't been able to hold her and is waiting for that day with eager anticipation. Kristy and Graham would love to be able to take her home and be her sole caretakers and feel like a real family. This is not quite what any of us had anticipated but we know that God is in charge. Thank you to all of you who are praying for them, please continue. We thank God daily for this new little grand-daughter and pray she will grow strong, and learn how to eat on her own, and reach those neccesary milestones, so that she can come home.