January, 26th 2016, our little Nora Grace entered the world 15 weeks before her due date (May 7). I was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia & admitted to the hospital on January 22nd. We quickly learned that due to the preeclampsia, Nora's well-being was being compromised by restricted blood flow through the placenta & umbilical cord. It was only a matter of time before the safety of my womb (as it should be for 9 months) became a danger to Nora's life. She and I were monitored very closely and that night of January 26th marked the time where staying "inside" was life threatening and a tiny miracle was born. Nora was a mere 1lb 3ozs & 11.5 inches long, she was perfect- except for all the support her tiny body would need to keep going. Our sweet Nora has endured more in 8 weeks than some do in a lifetime. She is the strongest, tiny fighter we will ever know! Today she weighs almost 4 pounds and is making great strides towards getting better & coming home with her big sisters! She has quite a road ahead of her yet, but she will be home one day!! Todd and I are not people to ask for much, until now all the thoughts and prayers have been everything we needed. The realization, however, of how much time costs is settling in. My maternity leave is over 6 weeks before Nora was supposed to be born. Todd & I are back to work with no baby at home. Nora needs us, especially when she is ready to come home. My work is incredibly flexible and will allow for me to take more time off when Nora can come home, but that time will not come without expense. A "normal" maternity leave does a good job at eating up sick & vacation time pretty quickly. As I have shared, we haven't experienced a whole lot of normal in the last 2 months. I'll admit, it feels strange to be seeking "donations", but what we will really be receiving is time. Time for us to be a family & not worry about the precise amount of hours we can afford to be away from work. Our family of 5 is the new normal & for that we are so grateful! Thank you all for the love, support, thoughts, prayers & simply allowing us to be with Nora.  
Much Love,
The DuBenske Family