Our son was born very early, at 29 weeks, in the middle of November and has been in the NICU since. Peyton was his admitting nurse on his birthday and has been caring and advocating for him ever since. In those first hours of our son’s life, Peyton took extra care to ensure my husband was comfortable and informed despite the whirlwind around him and me being upstairs in recovery. As a parent, it is incredibly challenging to have to leave your baby in the hands of someone else each day, and there are few things that make that any easier. For us, having Peyton as our son’s nurse is one of those few things. We truly believe Peyton cares for him as she would her own child. She has on countless occasions, advocated for him in ways we as parents would never have known to - asking for medications to improve the health of his skin, taking time to explain his feeding difficulties to the care team, and providing ideas that may help him, implementing treatment plans to prevent skin breakdown, and collaborating with therapy to implement consistent and effective treatment. And even though she is our son’s nurse, she has taken extra care to ensure my husband and I are informed and involved each step of the way. She effectively communicates orders and changes in a way that is understandable as parents, answers questions without hesitation, and reassures us when we need it. We have also enjoyed her energy and friendship, making long days feel a little lighter. She celebrates the highs with us and has thoughtfully brought joy to our corner of the NICU over the holidays, making crafts to remember each first holiday and milestone. There aren’t many things we will miss about the NICU whenever we get to leave, but we will miss Peyton. She is the perfect combination of knowledge, empathy, and fun - exactly what we need each time we have to leave the hospital without our son. We are so thankful for her and the gift it has been to have her in our corner for this journey. We fully believe our son is healthier, and we are better parents because of the way she has cared for our family.