We imagine it started in the nursing station at around 3 a.m. A group of nurses were probably taking a short break after their rounds in the NICU, talking about how freaking cute it would be to hold a graduation for each sweet baby that moves on up from the incubator to home. “We should make adorable paper grad caps, obvi!” suggests one nurse.

Whether that’s how it went down or not, these sweet celebrations at CaroMont Medical Center in Gastonia, North Carolina for babies in the unit—who are born six or more weeks premature—are melting our hearts.

A special photo is taken of the babe (some wearing homemade foam caps, some just snuggled beside them) telling the story of their journey. “X days behind me, a whole lifetime in front of me,” they read, filled in with each baby’s specific stats.

In the words of the lesser-known Drake song, “started from the incubator, now we here!” Way to grow and thrive, babies. Heartfelt congrats!

Read more:
Preemie care now in the hands of parents
What you should know if you have a preterm baby
World Prematurity Day: My birth story