Home So Soon?

And 4 days later he arose. Just kidding. These pictures are Cole's leads and O2 monitor and they are "unoccupied." We have our baby boy at home as of this afternoon!

What a great sight!

We were given word this morning that Cole could come home today! We were nervous, but so anxious to bring Cole home. We have a list of medicines to give him, but that will shorten as the pain starts to go away. When all of this first started for us, we kept being told, Cole just doesn't look like a heart baby and we thought everyone was just trying to be comforting. Today Cole's nurse said, "When I walked in I thought I had the wrong room because I thought there is no way this baby is a heart baby. I did not believe it until I saw his incision."

Today we had a very sobering and humbling reminder as we walked past a couple that was crying in the hall of CVICU. They had shut down the entrance back there because they were doing a "procedure." Folks, they do procedures in the OR (operating room), not in CVICU. They only do procedures in CVICU if there is an emergency. We are reminded quite a bit of the miracle Cole is and what we could be experiencing. We could just as easily be those parents - walking the halls and crying because our baby boy's life is in the balance. God is good, and He is still good even when He calls one of these babies home but still, we would rather not be those folks.

After our meeting with the Nurse Manager, we were called by our nurse Jenn last night just updating us on how Cole was doing. It was a huge relief and extremely nice of them to go out of their way more than once to call and let us know. Jenn said she brought him out to visit all the nurses. She said he was smiling and flirting. That's our boy!:)

We went down late this morning and he was peacefully slumbering and looked so content. He had a new nurse this morning and she said the discharge papers were still being completed, but we could stay as long as we wanted. Matt went over to the pharmacy in Sanger Clinic because one of the medicines can only be filled at a handful of pharmacies. Matt came back from getting those filled and we signed off on the discharge papers, fed Cole one more time, and packed up the room. As always the nurses are very helpful in scavenging for loose formula and diapers to take home! Always a bonus! On the other side of that I guess you could look at it like it's being paid for anyways in this "hotel" bill.

We have our "Tubbs McGee" back home and he is relaxing on the boppy with a cold one. Just kidding. He is relaxing and seems relieved to be home. He was thrilled to be in his own crib and fell asleep almost instantly when his head hit the baby incline positioner. Thank you all who have kept up with us since the beginning of this journey and through these very long past four days! We love you all and it made a very difficult time a little sweeter! Here is a picture this evening of the little man.

LG