Making Today Count
Let’s be real here.. If you have a preemie, you know that not all days are good days. In fact, not all weeks are good. Needles and surgeries. Machines beeping and buzzing. Alarms and baby squeals. It’s a lot. There are tough days and we know that there is very little we can do those first few weeks.
Maybe it was self-preservation, but I knew I needed to change the way I approached every day I went into the hospital. I started celebrating the small successes the boys would achieve. One less apnea than the day prior. Skin not ripping when gently pulling the nodes off of them for a quick bath. I thought, “if I am not given these boys for my whole life, I want to make every day I have with them count”. And so I did.
Kari McKinnon
Mom of NICU twins and author
I introduced myself a bit ago in the “Welcome Home” tab, but I am the mom to these amazing 3 ‘kids’ of mine, I am also a wife, a friend, a daughter and a sister. Oh! A dog mom too!
I had an 11 +/- year career with The Disney Company in Talent Management. I’m currently earning my Certificate in Career Coaching and plan on extending that to Team Coaching. One day, I’m hoping to spread my experiences far and wide to as many people who will listen.
More personally, I believe in dreaming. Dreaming BIG. I believe in working hard and teaching our next generation how to work hard. I believe in love and the weight that love can carry. I believe in the power of words, and how words can’t be taken back, so use them with care. I love the outdoors, traveling, spending time with those closest to me, and I feel complete and total joy when I witness someone reaching a personal goal.
I hold on to the past, sometimes too much, but I look to the future and what it may look like if we make every day count. I still cry over NICU memories that hit me at the most inconvenient times, and I feel intense joy when I watch my kids become incredible, perfectly imperfect young adults.
NICU days...
Lance-Liam
Kangaroo care
Mom-and-Boys
“My name is Noelle Herlihy and I am 14 years old. My mom Kari McKinnon Herlihy is the author of this book. She lives with my brothers when they are home from UGA (the boys that this book is about), my dad, and me in Cumming, Georgia. My mom wanted to write this book to remind all of the mamas in the NICU to Just Breathe as she remembers all of the times that she forgot to, and needed a reminder. Liam was in the NICU for 102 days and Lance was in for 104 days. I was in the NICU for just a few days but I know that however long you are in there, whether it is 3 days or 4 months, it is scary and hard on the families who can’t wait to be home with their baby. I grew up hearing all of the stories about my brothers and their journey in the NICU. There were so many scary times when my mom wondered if the boys would ever come home, and there were funny stories of celebrating the tiniest bit of poop. What I do know is that I am grateful beyond words for the Blank Children’s Hospital nurses and doctors who use their gift in a way to save my brothers and many other kids during their time at Blank. My mom talks about how many times science and faith worked perfectly together to save “our boys”. I am so happy that I get to write this for my mom and contribute to her dream. I am so thankful that my brothers get to be here with me today as I watch them becoming amazing men (and brothers), going to college and starting their lives.
Thank you to the heroes who don’t wear capes. You save lives every day, and 18 years ago, you saved my brothers (and saved my mama’s heart).
I hope you enjoy the story, Noelle
Just Breathe, Mama
You aren’t alone, and I never want you to feel as if you are. Let my book, Just Breathe, Mama, be your support while you are going through this chapter in your life. If you are a graduate of the NICU or a family member (this includes friends!) of a NICU baby, let this book take you through our journey – a journey that may not be as different from yours as you think. I’ve heard that this book makes a great gift for current NICU families, NICU graduates, and moms in general. You can purchase the book below.