Sunday - Please let this be near the end

The last couple of days have been uneventful compared to our introduction to the NICU. They thought we might be able to head home on Friday. Our spirits were so high, and we were making the plans to head on out of here. Thursday night, though, we had a good notion that life wasn't going to go as we had hoped as A's weight had dipped HUGE. Friday night, we were disappointed with another low weight - though, the loss had lessened.

So, last night, we were very nervous to see A on the scale. We were ecstatic when we saw he had GAINED, nearly an ounce!! We did not have any expectations this morning, but all of a sudden - and don't get too excited here-- the doctor started saying things like "discharge" connected with the time frame of "this morning". She started to move on it immediately, and we were in jubilant shock. Everything was ready to go, and she began to do her last thing: the discharge exam. She pulled back the bandage to look at his sutures, and one of them was open and there was a bit of fluid draining... So, here we still are.

The good news, though, is that as long as the status of the suture doesn't change (i.e. does not pull more skin open, does not become inflamed and/or red, and he doesn't develop a fever), we are basically scheduled to go home tomorrow morning. (That, and he has to continue to gain weight.) I am finishing paperwork now for insurance, but other than that, it looks like we are on our way out - FINALLY.

Our NICU experience has been one that I never need to repeat. Unfortunately, we will have another hospital stay ahead of us in a couple of months when they put A's intestines back together again. Still, it will be planned and he will be healthy for that one... and we're going to be more than ready to get rid of his ostomy at that point.

On a good note, the folks here are really fantastic. Everyone is set up in a private room, so we've been able to spend the nights here. We have privacy all day to spend time together getting to know one another as a family - of course, we are more than anxious to do that on the outside of an intensive care unit, but we are lucky that we had the care that we did while here.

Maybe at some point in the future, we will blog more heartily about our feelings and experiences here. I've never endured so much fear and confusion. For now, though, it's time to go. I have to rock A. Please keep us in your thoughts for A to continue his healing and weight gain. He is a strong little guy, and we are so proud of him for making such great strides in just one week. (Thank God it wasn't any longer.) Thank you, again, for all of your thoughts and comments. We will never be able to truly express how much strength you all gave A's mommies while we've been here.