We are home!
Post date: Jan 28, 2011 9:49:48 PM
January 28 - After 85 days in the hospital, the three of us are finally home! It has been an amazing journey so far as we have experienced God's faithfulness, seen Him answer prayers, and been blessed by the love of our families and friends. The last 24 hours of transition have gone very well for all of us! Thank you for praying about this transition time.
DISCHARGE...The discharge process went smoothly on Thursday. We left a little later than expected, but that was because the developmental specialist wanted to give us some materials before we left. The grandparents did not seem to mind that delay at all :-) Once all was ready, his nurse, Carol (seen in the picture to the right), led us through the short journey from his room in the Continuing Care Nursery down to the maternity discharge area. It was a fun trip waving goodbye to the staff as we wandered through the halls.CAR RIDE... Grady Jeremiah did great with the car ride home! He sat in the car seat in the back with Julia while I (Grady) drove. During the 2.5 hour trip, he either rested or took his bottle. He only cried when it was time to be fed... what a blessing that was! Because he was so peaceful, I did have to ask Julia several times if he was okay :-) It is a different experience for us not having all of the monitors attached to him. We did have to stop twice to get him out of his car seat to burp him after eating. That was a new travel experience for us, but one that I am sure will be repeated!
ARRIVING HOME...
It was so exciting bringing Grady Jeremiah home, and finally having Julia home! This was her first time home since leaving for her regular prenatal appointment on November 4. Grady Jeremiah was alert and peaceful when we got home. He just kept looking around at his new surroundings! We gave him a tour of the house and told him all about each room!
HIS FIRST NIGHT & DAY HOME...
Yes, he did really well sleeping last night! He woke up three times wanting to be fed, but that was his only time to get fussy. Once he had a full stomach, he went back to sleep. He continues to do well today both in being peaceful, sleeping, and eating. Speaking of being fed, he is eating even more than he did in the hospital. It is as though his appetite increased. Thankfully one of the nurses had told us to anticipate that would occur! We are so pleased with how well he has adjusted to being here with us.
We are still in the process of getting settled back into home. It is amazing how much "stuff" we accumulated after being away 2 1/2 months, and how much needs to be done to get the house straightened up. However, we are making good progress, and Grady Jeremiah doesn't seem to mind us having to get some work done here. He even enjoys being "in the midst" of whatever we are doing. Perhaps we should title the picture to the left, "Can you find the baby in the laundry?" :-)HIS STORY AND THE BLOG CONTINUES...A number of you have asked us to continue the blog. We definitely plan to do so! While the chapter of his life at UAB Hospital has ended, we know another chapter is beginning. Just as we needed your prayers during the past 11+ weeks, we still need them now! So we plan to continue this blog. Right now, please be praying for Grady Jeremiah and for us as we begin this new chapter in our lives. Pray for us to have wisdom as parents to best know how to provide for, care for, and shepherd him (a theme I am sure you will hear us mentioning in the near future!). We appreciate each of you being part of our lives and this journey so far, and look forward to you continuing to do so in the months and years ahead.
Blessings,
Grady, Julia, and Grady Jeremiah