Home at last

Josiah is peacefully sleeping in his room as we write this.  It has been a full, but blessed day.

One great surprise is that we are happy to be home.  I really expected this to be stressful but it's been fun getting the place organized and Josiah has been great.  I enjoy trying to figure out the best way to prep the drugs and the feeds.  Thank you for your prayers in this regard!  God has definitely answered them.  I think Graham and I are a good team.  He gives most of the enox injections and I listen for most of the pops!  We are soaring with our strengths! 

The trip home was good.  Josiah was a little scared at the beginning and didn't enjoy Toronto's stop-and-go traffic but he soon fell asleep.  He was on a stretcher and we ended up giving him his 3:00 feed and medications in the ambulance.  We had been told that this transfer ambulance would not have medical personnel but the woman who sat behind Josiah had completed all of her EMS training so that was reassuring.

A nurse was going to drop by tonight but she called and asked how we were doing and we said that a morning visit tomorrow would be fine.  It was nicer to be able to get some things put away.  The OT also called and she'll come by in the morning as well.  Another nurse will come in the afternoon and a social worker called and said she would come next week.  What amazing support!  Shift nursing starts on Monday but we don't have all the details.   

This morning at the hospital there was last minute paperwork, sat monitor training, medications to pick up, goodbyes from staff and other parents at SK, collecting the final bravery beads, and packing.  Elizabeth's dad came for our luggage and the milk.  The milk is currently in three freezers.  

When we arrived home, we were met by family who also arranged a lovely fruit bouquet.  Graham actually told me this morning that we needed a fruit buffet so it was the perfect gift from our family.  Our sister-in-law explained all of the instructions for using the oxygen as she was here for the training.  All of the other local family members came by to welcome us home and see Josiah.  Graham's parents are staying the night and thus we had a delicious dinner and put them to work with laundry, washing syringes, and keeping Josiah entertained. 

Before we left the hospital, Graham ran into a couple whose infant daughter had a heart transplant in August.  Thankfully, she is doing well. 

We've decided to monitor Josiah's sats overnight and he has been doing quite well.  I think we're getting better at anticipating his morphine needs. 

It is a little bizarre seeing some of Josiah's things like his vibrating chair and swing and remembering that he used to be in them here.  It seems a little like that was a different baby and in many ways that is true.  I felt like I was introducing this Josiah to his home for the first time.  A lot has happened over the past three and a half months.  Josiah's bedroom is new.  Our family did a great job setting it up.  I cleared out all of his three to six month clothes from his drawers as he has grown. 

It's time to get his midnight feed ready.  It is good to be home and good to be able to say that.  God's amazing love is so evident.

Blessings,

Elizabeth and Graham