Bubbles!

My cousin's wife gave birth to a 2 month premature baby in October 2012.  When she was born, she was so tiny, she could have fit into my one palm. My niece was in neonatal care unit for about two months.

For a few seconds in those two months, her heart stopped beating.

Doctor had very casually said that he hopes the lack of oxygen for the few seconds the heart didn't beat has not left any permanent damage on her brain.  

It broke my heart to see my niece in the incubation box. 

Moments like these make you question the existence of God.  (honestly, I am still not sure if God exists.. I'm probably still sitting on the fence, shifting goalposts as per my convenience. Hopefully, if God exists, He/She won't judge me for being so indecisive.)

She was discharged from the hospital after two months, and she looked tinier than the time she was born! 

So small, so frail.

I did not visit her for a few days.  I was afraid that the germs and external elements I would bring in her immediate proximity would not be good for her already weak immune system.

But then, she started growing up.  She started sitting upright, crawling and eventually walking. 

She had her first tooth, which was painful for her and made her cranky.

She has a weak immune system.  Gets cold and cough very frequently.  She catches viral infections easily.  But she comes out stronger each time.

She is a non fussy eater.  She loves milk.  She loves peacocks.  She thinks the peacocks talk to her and the one she saw in the evening told her hi.

She does not like it when you flush down her poop because she feels sad her potty has gone away.  If she spills food and you ask her who spilled it, she does not put the blame on anyone else, but she just casually admits it fell on its own.

She calls me Nini.  She has big eyes, full of wonder.  When you blow soap bubbles at her, she runs around to catch them.

When I saw the two year old run around catching bubbles, and then laughing when they burst right on her face, I thought of the face I saw through the glass when she was just born. 

This little girl has fought against odds and survived.  She is a fighter.  She still frequent bouts of cold, cough and fever, but she pulls you with all her strength to show you her new friend, the spider on the ceiling in the corner of the room.  

Just seeing her run around in the house is such a great feeling.  She's a bright child, this one.  

Some times, all you need is faith.  Hope is just round the corner.

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