I guess it's best to start with the bad... always good to end on a high note. Samuel is not coming home mid-February. I knew I shouldn't have said the come-home date out loud! Actually, we have decided not to tell Samuel when his next go home date is - apparently they bring on a bit too much excitement and he can't quite handle it :) In all seriousness, on Sunday, the day after the birthday party, Samuel had another event. As before, it was pretty serious, but also as before, with compressions and a few breaths, his sats (blood/oxygen saturation levels) and his heart rate came back up. So, we started our three weeks of being event-free over... again. I can't lie, I had myself a nice little pity party on Sunday morning, but then it was time for the to-do's to start, so on we went. I am sad... not as much because he isn't coming home (although every minute of every day I want him home), but because he's still not ready to come home. But, if the next few weeks go well, we could still be looking at late February or early March for coming home. Also as before, our hopes are high!
The good... Olivia and George had a great 1-year check up on Monday! They are doing really well! They are each a little behind the 1-year curve for physical development, but got a huge thumbs up neurologically and for growth! Not bad for babies born almost 3 months early :) (They are not at all behind any curve for 9-month olds.) It was a wonderful appointment!
The Oh My Goodness... bring us to life as we know it. It's about to change! Even though Samuel's not coming home this week, we are still taking some of the big last steps to bringing him home. For example, when he comes home our dogs will have to be outside most of the day (dog hair and traches don't go well together) and we realized we don't have a fence yet. So, that project is now at the top of the list. But that's not the OMG. On Tuesday, the home medical equipment company came to our house to train us on some of the equipment. By some, I mean all of the respiratory stuff... the g-tube/feeding stuff is still to come, but I hear it's fairly simple in comparison. Let me set the scene... we are all there and a little anxious but also excited to get started. A really nice woman knocks on the door and we exchange nice-to-meet-you's, then she asks David, and Rachel, and me, if we can help her get some things from her car (this leaves Omi with the babies, no worries :) ). Sure! We all go to get a load... looks do-able. During the 2+ hours of training, there are entirely too many trips made to get more stuff out of the car. Agh! The amout of stuff is crazy! I guess when you see it in the hospital it's somehow camouflaged, because seeing it at home is a bit overwhelming! The woman was absolutely wonderful at training us, but it didn't entirely take away the panic of reality crashing down.
When you, your child, your friend, or whoever is in the hospital, I think my general thought is that when they come home, they will be "better," or fixed, or whatever the word might be. In the last few weeks it's really hit me that when Samuel comes home, he will be better than he was, but he will not be "better." He is really sick. He is still very fragile. And I have a bit of anxiety about that. Again, I want nothing more than to have him home with me! I can't wait for that day! But I'm nervous about doing everything right. Same as any first-time parent I guess... Samuel just seems to come with a bit more hardware.
Neither the bad, the good, or the OMG compares to this...
Happy, happy, joy, joy! George can entertain himself as well as he entertains us :)
Not sure Scout is too interested in being entertained :)
Olivia, you are extra pretty close up... but I'm still not letting you play with the camera...
Not sure exactly what it is about this picture, but I love it!!! I'm guessing it's not the just-woke-up gaze, or the I'm-still-getting-more-teeth drool, or the unbuttoned onesie... must just be Her Cuteness. (No, she doesn't need a walker... it's just an OT toy to practice standing :) )
Samuel loves his green beans! This is especially great because of the intense oral aversions most kids have after being intubated for so long!
No dad, you won't fit into my lounge chair :)
Let me tell you all about it, mom!
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