Wow I cannot believe that it is already Thursday!! Where did this week go?! Oh that's right, it went to time spent bringing my boy HOME!! After a 179 day NICU stay, we are overjoyed to have him home with us and in our care 24/7. So Monday started with a repeat eye exam. The eye doctor saw even more improvements in his eye than before. Because of this they do not want to transfer him at this time for an eye surgery he may not need. There is still the possibility that we will need to head to Michigan at a later date for the surgery but Jordan will then be an outpatient. We of course are praying that he will never need eye surgery.
So after we heard the good news on Monday, we set up home oxygen and then I was able to "room in" with him on Monday night. This is to make sure that I can handle things on my own and that I am comfortable with the monitor and oxygen setup. Our room was actually quiet! They didn't really bother us like you normally get in the hospital. Jordan slept really well and I enjoyed my extra cuddle time. The next morning we were set up for discharge. He is HOME! Well....in our hotel home...lol.
Our first night was pretty uneventful. This boy can eat..and poop...oh my!! Jason absolutely adores having baby brother home. He just cannot stop playing with him and staring at him. He has had a couple of jealous moments but I was expecting those. Besides the few moments of questioning why mommy could not jump right to his aid to provide him with his deepest desire of chocolate milk, he seems to love being a big brother. And he is SO helpful. I mean seriously. I never thought I would be able to count on my two year old so much. He hands me diapers, silences the alarm when Jordan is being wiggly, holds in the pacifier, and even just entertains with silly faces and high pitched baby talk. LOL. I am so very proud of my big boy!! I know that eventually the newness of Jordan will wear off but Im hoping for another few weeks of my super helper!
Home oxygen is definitely a challenge. First off, Jordan is constantly connected to this tank. I still have the cords to deal with..not as many though. His monitor is also very annoying but necessary and actually brings me much relief. I don't know if I would be able to sleep as well if he was not on a monitor. I know that the monitor will alert me to anything so I can rest comfortably knowing my boy is also resting comfortably. I am going to need to work on figuring out how to get around with both boys, and the oxygen tank, lol...so far it has been challenging. Yesterday morning we went to continental breakfast (after daddy had gone to work so just me and the boys)...oh my..I felt like I had run a marathon when we got back to the room. Its going to take some practice that's for sure. Last night when daddy had come home from work we made a trip to Walmart. MUCH easier with a second pair of adult hands!! Jordan was wide eyed the whole time.
Now the follow up appointments start and our lives get crazy once more. Well...I guess less crazy than hanging out at the NICU every day. Now we actually have a few down days each week. Jordan has three appointments scheduled for next week. He will see the eye doctor, ear doctor, and pediatric doctor. He is going to start with the regular pediatrician and then in a few months he will switch to the developmental pediatrician. The developmental pedi likes to wait until the babies are around 6 months corrected age. This way they have more to work on rather than just cooing and looking cute! Jordan doesn't really need any help with those things anyways!
I love love love all the baby sounds and faces! He just melts my heart. Funny story...I started poking Jacob to look over to see Jordan's cute faces he was making while he was falling back to sleep after eating...Jacob gave me that look...Yes honey...I know that it is 2am but he was just so cute that I thought you had to wake up from your slumber to stare at him with me! LOL...Lets just say he did not agree that the cuteness trumped the sleeping. Oh well...what can you do?! Its hard to believe that Jordan will be 6 months old in two days! What a blessing he has been in our lives.
My prayer requests are for continued healing in his eyes, continued steady weight gain, for us to all figure out a routine that works well for us, and that we all remain healthy and germ-free.
Thank you for praying with us throughout this journey. With God all things are possible. Jordan scientifically had a 15% chance for survival outside my womb. Just look at him now!! Every life is precious and every life matters. Even in the womb. Beyond blessed to have my family whole and complete! <3
