Happy Homecoming

It's finally here - the homecoming we have been waiting 158 days for. That's right, after 158 days we brought Alexander home. After driving a total of 10,125 miles to visit our son, we drove the final 62.5 miles home on April 24. 

The feelings were indescribable. Excitement, fear, nervousness and sheer joy. We spent the night with him on April 23 for our "apartment experience" - when they put him on his home monitors and we are responsible for all of his cares. A test run, if you will. We passed with flying colors. We had a final weigh in and were nervous as he had lost weight. Finally, we were told that he would definitely be released and started the process for discharge. 

Final night in the NICU.

In my going home outfit - ready to go!!

Nurse practioners, his music therapist, child life therapist and many other nurses prepared a song for him, complete with guitars and sound shakers, "Alex is Leaving the NICU Today," sung to the same tune as Raffi's "Going to the Zoo". I shed several tears and tried to hold it together. All the paperwork and prescriptions were filled like a well-oiled machine. All of our training on his oxygen and home monitors was completed. And then it was time.

Leaving Bay 5. 

We arrived home around 1:30 in the afternoon. It was quite the evening. We had the rest of Alexander's oxygen tanks delivered and learned how to use them. Andrew welcomed his brother home, which was completely heart warming. He was so excited to have him home!

 

Then we tuckered the little guy out. He woudn't wake up for a feeding - which for us, is a signal that something is off. His temp was a little low and his alarms started going off signaling a low heart rate. This alarm is one of the loudest, scariest things you have ever heard. I have to admit I spent the night on the floor next to his bed, afraid to really go to sleep. We called the University twice to touch base on his feeding and temp. We were able to finally wake him at midnight and he took 2/3 of a feeding. The nurses at the U thought he may have just been worn out from all the activity of coming home. 

Fortunately, he ended up completely fine today - eating every 3-4 hours and doing much better on the bottle. It's going to be a work in progress to get our little man to eat with consistency - he is VERY slow and VERY particular about eating. 

Nana arrived with expert Grandma help and it was perfect to have her and Pete's parents around. It really does take a village - especially with a 2 year old! Andrew decided he was finally ready to hold Alex - we have been asking him each time he's been around him the last few months. 

Overall we are just thankful for our little miracle and are truly enjoying being home under one roof. We are settling into our "new normal," with oxygen tubes strung throughout the house, visiting nurses coming a couple times a week, administering breathing treatments twice a day and giving several medications. We can not thank all of you enough for following Alexander's journey home and being there for us along the way. The calls, texts, cards, gifts, dinners, thoughts and, most of all, the prayers have been incredible. We hope that you continue to think of Alexander and see him as an example of how great God is and how miracles happen each and every day. 

Our journey is far from over. We have follow up appointments locally and with the University. We are watching reflux into his kidneys and hope we can avoid surgery in the future. We will closely monitor his growth and development and will get him any help he needs to thrive but we know our love will take him far. 

Much love and peace to you and yours always and forever.