In the midst of this whole ordeal, I watched my mother age…. not as a result of stress, but because birthdays have a way of making us grow older. Mom, however, didn’t even realize that July had turned to August, but it wasn’t lost on Dad. In fact, after a long day at work, he made a special 2-hour trip out to Rochester on that Tuesday evening so we could celebrate mom. First, we showered her with Dad-selected-and-Jaeger-approved gifts. Then, we enjoyed the most serene August 1st skies from our cute sidewalk patio table, and treated mom to Pasquale’s authentic New York Style pizza with a birthday cake chaser! Finally, after our bellies were no longer empty, we decided to fill up our hearts by returning to the NICU where we admired the most precious gift of all, my adorable little sister.