Last summer this lil’ guy arrived at 32 weeks and 5 days, weighing 3 lbs 15 oz. Harrison spent 4 weeks at the Prentice NICU receiving amazing care, and the first week he spent under bili lights for Jaundice which as his mama says, “was the most difficult because we were limited to one hour of hold time each day.”

While Harrison and his family were in the NICU, I had the pleasure of going to the hospital and documenting a couple hours of their time with him – nursing & burping him, and lovin’ up on him.

This year Harrison’s family is walking for March of Dimes in honor of him and all the wonderful care he received thanks to organizations like MOD. You can click HERE to make a donation yourself, big or small, it all counts. Best of all, your donation will support –

* Research into stress and other factors that may trigger preterm labor
* Programs to educate pregnant women to recognize the warnings signs of preterm labor
* Tools to help health care providers find better ways to detect women who may be at risk for preterm labor.

Oh, and for all you parents out there with babies in the NICU, know that you WILL get through this. And you have this to look forward to… (see below for a very happy & healthy 8 month old Harrison )

(some side notes: Harrison’s diapers are non-toxic and made with materials such as sustainably harvested chlorine-free pulp, and courtesy of The Honest Company. Click HERE for more info on them. Also, this family’s living room as well as Harrison’s AMAZING nursery was designed and styled by Chicago designer, Bailey McCarthy of Peppermint Bliss, who I am officially now obsessed with her work)

XO

above: Okay, it’s no secret. I love animals. But I am totally obsessed with hairless kitties (I kind of dream of having one someday when we have more space), so needless to say I was pretty psyched about getting Auggie in front of my camera (FYI: he feels like soft velvety suede).

above right: Is that Kelly green painted dresser not the most gorgeous piece of furniture you’ve ever seen? HERE is Bailey McCarthy’s original blog post on designing Harrison’s nursery, in which she explains (and I totally agree) “We wanted to get pieces he could grow with. A dedicated changing table is the dumbest piece of furniture marketed to new moms. You don’t need a specific changing table, just put a pad on any piece of furniture. There is no ideal height for a changing table that would require a special piece of baby developed furniture. Trust me, eventually you will be changing diapers on the floor, in your lap in public restrooms, on the hood of your car. You will figure it out. And then you will be stuck with some ugly changing table and be like “Tha Eff?”

above: Auggie kept purring and rubbing his little wrinkly body up into my camera – so.sweet. Personality and looks, he was basically like a hairless Basil (our kitty).