If you came here looking for some recipes inspired by Paula Deen, I am sorry to disappoint you. Five sticks of butter is about my daughter, Elena, who was born weighing 2 oz. shy of five sticks of butter — 1 lb. 2 oz. She is the light of my life and a true miracle. This blog is about her, about us, about our journey. Elena is now 4 years old, so we are past the scariest parts of raising a micro-preemie. I won’t pretend that I have anything to add to all of the preemie parenting websites that are out there, but I will use this space to showcase Elena and how far she has come and maybe reflect on some of her days from the NICU.