Hi all,

Without a bit of sarcasm, it brought a a tear to my eye that I was specifically mentioned in 24left's now locked thread about missing AC FTers.

Mrs Diabeetus went into preterm labor early March, and our daughter was born super premature. 25-weeker preemie, under 2lbs in weight. We've been spending our time pretty much living in the NICU.

We've been very fortunate, however, in that our little girl hasn't had any of the major complications that micro preemies get (i.e. big brain bleeds, severe infections, retinopathy, etc.). We're praying that she'll be one of the lucky ones that gets away without developmental delay or cerebral palsy.

All flights and trips cancelled for the foreseeable future. We had some cheap P-fare tickets to Tucson - the departure date was 3 days after my daughter was born. It was supposed to be our last trip while still within the "safe" flying window while pregnant. If my wife had gone into labor 25-weeks pregnant mid-flight...

I hopped on FT a couple times without posting. Missing out on the deals and talking about recent trips made me feel a bit sad, as I really enjoy travelling. I miss being pampered those times up in J. I miss the little perks that status brought. But I would trade a lifetime of all those things in exchange for guaranteed good health for our child.

I ended my flying year at 21,5084 AQM and 12 AQS, with the date of my last flight as Mar 1, 2015.

I wasn't planning on requalifying for SE this year, but there's a good chance I'll have no status for 2016. In the grand scheme of things, there's ways around it. Latitude flight passes. Z/P fare sales. And in the end, it's not that important.

I'll still be around on FT, but will likely be quieter for the next few months.