Markus was born in 2017, six weeks early. He spent eight weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit while complications kept the doctors from feeling comfortable sending him home.
Amy and I were happy to have our son. We were also on edge. There was so much to celebrate, but his health gave us reasons to worry.
This photograph was taken a day or two before we finally brought him home.
Amy—my high school sweetheart, now my wife—was sitting quietly with him in her arms. When I saw them, I felt peace after the chaos. There was light at the end of the tunnel.
I could see love and relief in the way she looked at him. Our boy was finally coming home. We still had concerns, but at that moment I felt reassured that things were going to be all right.
That is why I took the photograph.
Looking at it now, I see us getting through our first major obstacle together as a family. I remember the uncertainty, but I also remember that quiet moment when relief began to settle in.
Markus is growing fast. This picture keeps a small part of that beginning close.
Before we took him home, there was this: Amy holding our son, and a moment of peace worth remembering.
