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A God Wink

God winks are what happens when the stars align and something impossible suddenly becomes possible.
That happened today and the result was well, spectacular.

From October until late spring, the NICU has a strict policy on visitors: parents and grandparents ONLY. Its purpose is to keep babies safe during flu season.

Tuesday night I got a call from a friend in Baton Rouge. Jennifer is an insanely talented photographer who has taken gorgeous pictures of Manning and my family. She was coming through Jacksonville on her way to a meditation retreat in Florida.
Jennifer asked if she could come see us and take pictures of Marjorie. My heart skipped a beat. What a special gift! But I knew the chances were slim to none on getting her through NICU security.

Well never say never! We got the green light and Jenn appeared this morning with her sanitized camera and a big hug.

It also just so happened that Marjorie’s feeding tube was due to be changed today. So for two glorious hours I got to stare at my beautiful girl without any tubes or tape on her precious face.

I cried throughout the session watching Jenn lovingly take picture after picture, working around Marjorie’s incubator and tiny “room”. As it became my turn to hold her and get a few shots of us, Jenn told me to nuzzle her. I quietly replied that I could not. It’s not safe for my face to get too close. Only in the last week have I started kissing her on the forehead and back of her head.

Jen smiled back and said well do what you would normally do. Tears started pouring down my face. I raised Marjorie’s cheek to mine and kissed her over and over. For a small moment I felt like a mom kissing her newborn baby, even if Marjorie is 8 weeks old. Today I finally got the pictures and experience I’ve been praying for.

I’ve sat at my computer countless times trying to create a birth announcement with photos taken from my iPhone. But the pictures did not do justice to my baby girl. Her face was always hidden behind tubes, tape and wires. Today my Marjorie got the pictures she deserved.

The stars truly aligned. Today God didn’t just wink, He gave me a massive hug and a reminder that no matter how scary and dark the road may be, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Here are just a few sneak peaks…

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  • Jeff
    December 4, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    What an amazing “God wink”! These are so amazing, special, and beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing them.

  • Angel
    December 4, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    So awesome! So beautiful!!!

  • Mackenzie
    December 4, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Beautiful! What a wonderful gift!

  • theRECOVERING
    December 4, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    Absolutely beautiful!!

  • Alyssa, In Pursuit of Fruit
    December 4, 2014 at 6:13 pm

    Gosh girl! Choking back tears! What a wonderful and beautiful day for you and baby Marjorie. So glad you were able to get photos that do her justice. She’s gorgeous, just like you!

  • Ann Morgan Graham
    December 4, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    I love the one with her smiling!!! 🙂

  • celinalove
    December 4, 2014 at 8:30 pm

    Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and captured perfectly!

  • celinalove
    December 4, 2014 at 9:01 pm

    Beautiful, absolutely beautiful! This moment was captured perfectly❤️

  • nicematters
    December 5, 2014 at 8:00 am

    Tears are pouring. I love the idea of God winking at us. Watching us receive His love with the same anticipation and happy heart that we feel when someone unwraps a gift that we give. And the perfect joy. She is an amazing and beautiful little miracle and my faith is full at this moment.

  • Dee Dee Wilbert
    December 5, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    God winks are love notes! Love notes that rain down on us all the time!

  • RND
    December 6, 2014 at 9:18 am

    Expecting premmie triplets myself and cannot imagine how the time in the NICU will be like. Thanks for sharing some of true beauty behind!

  • Christy Willey
    December 6, 2014 at 1:13 pm

    So very beautiful McCall… God is so very good… And He shows through you and Marjorie every single day…