Livin’ the Dream

Two years ago, we began the journey of adding one plus two to equal three.

Last year, Baby Bear (my nickname for Caeli – to the rest of y’all, she’s Caeli-bug or Li-Li) began multiple therapies with our now-good friends at Kidsource to catch up and in some cases, get ahead of her testing age.

Today, she’s finding herself into some of everything – digging through boxes on the floor, opening kitchen cabinets that we never baby proofed, climbing on the night stand and ottoman, and otherwise being more adorable every day even when she doesn’t care for bedtime.

It’s pretty safe to say I’m livin’ the dream as Caeli Elise’s daddy.

Drake White is "Livin' the Dream". What about you?

A few of you may need to come down to the Dub Shack to be witnesses to the family dance-offs every other Saturday afternoon in the kitchen (Hint:  my kid has way more rhythm in her pinky finger than I ever will in my entire stiff body – thank God her mommy has moves) or wait for one of us to share videos of us singing in the cars.

It seemed like a dream when the Lord brought us back to the city of Zion. 

 Psalms 126:1

When the Lord brought Israel out of bondage in Babylon after a period of around seventy years, the people were exceedingly overjoyed at going back to Jerusalem. Not only were they on their way home, but also King Cyrus financed their return journey by sponsoring and encouraging it! Never had there been a moment like it in history and in all likelihood, it will never repeat itself again. Imagine if the President-elect actually followed through on deporting legally-born and/or naturalized citizens (which I pray he is never that cruel, but the rhetoric is a different story and the nationalists out there are craving blood. Enough of the political thought – this is supposed to be a happy post) and funded their safe travels to their homelands.

Coming home to Bryant whole was a dream come true, let me tell you.

As a NICU dad, those 146 days of having to visit Caeli in her incubator only to leave at the end of each day and once July 20, 2015 rolled around on the calendar, tears streamed down my eyes as my wife and I latched in the car seat for the very first time to complete our family. She has had one hospitalization (croup, double ear infection) since and has been a dream child through it all largely remaining healthy outside of the common cold. Her resolve is legendary at 21 months of age; God gave us a special child to be great in a world that is merely okay with being good. In addition to the climbing and running, Caeli is a good communicator for her age who loves to read and be read to. She’s not just strong:  She is #CAELISTRONG.

Prematurity Awareness Day is November 17 – take a moment to remember all of the little angels who spent their entire short lives in the NICU as well as those who have had complications that eventually brought them back to the PICU.

We rock that purple because of the twins born eleven days apart.

We sport that purple because of Caeli’s first friend Freeman and in his eternal rest, share his legacy in Helena once the playground opens.

We stunt on ‘em in purple because of our little graduates (and bigger ones) have already been amazing in words and feelings beyond our vocabularies.

Thanks to all of the parents we’ve befriended along the journey – Diana and Julio; Misty and Will; Shay’s niece (born two hours after Caeli) and her family in Stuttgart; the Estes family from Vilonia; Nytalya and James; primary nurses Lorrie and Emily; the support groups at both UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital; our church and neighbors in Springhill Manor; and everyone who had a prayer, gift card for food or gas, a kind word, or encouragement via text, message, phone call, read, shared, and commented on the Dad Chronicles or stopping by my office at work to relate their own stories.

Together, we wear purple to observe the day our babies got an early head start on life and the commonalities we share for the rest of our lives by livin’ the dream of parenthood.