Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Home


 After a 37 day stay in the NICU, our little Warrior was discharged at last.




The children had only ever seen him once, through a window, but they loved him already.






Leaving the hospital was a little peek into the children's world as of late.  They'd been riding these elevators all summer long, visiting me, and they were old pros.



We stopped in to say goodbye to the wonderful nurses in the High Risk Perinatal unit and to bid a fond farewell to room 634, which served as both my sanctuary and my jail cell for those seven long weeks.


World, meet Warrior!



It's been more than a week now, all of us home.


It is so, so good.


There's a lot of healing going on around here.  Baby Girl has a book called Baby Faces with a picture of a sad baby.  She wants to read that book every day, and every time she tells me, "Her sad her mommy go doc doc.  Soooo sick, can't come home.  Her cry for her.  Want her come home."  A little projection seems to be therapeutic.  Along with a lot of snuggles.


The boys think it's "exgusting" that this perfect little creature dirties his diaper.  They love holding him, right up until they get the slightest hint that something could be in progress.  Then, it's hot potato.






Warrior's a bit delicate still, not moving along on the weight gain as quickly as anyone would like and having trouble with reflux, but we are working on it.  He's an expert at meeting challenges.


He likes to be held pretty much all the time.  Lucky for him, I find myself with about a 37-day deficit in baby holding, so it works well for both of us.




He looks just like the Mister, and the most like Buddy Boy of his siblings.  One of the funny--in retrospect, at least--moments of Warrior's birth was when I woke up in the Trauma ICU on a ventilator and started communicating in sign language with one of the nurses who has a Deaf cousin.  The Mister says I was just signing away, asking the color of Warrior's eyes and wanting to know about his hair, as well as Little Guy's kindergarten open house.  Priorities, of course!  Anyway, I'm thinking he may keep the dark hair and that those navy blues will turn chocolate brown like his daddy's.



This little one survived in hopelessness and persisted in battle, and we have been so blessed to receive him.  Our Warrior is precious to us.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello my precious warrior! You are such a welcome addition to this world!

tarheelmom said...

Oh so sweet!

Glad you all are home!

Julie said...

I will look at this post again and again. You have captured joy and love in these pictures!

Allison said...

He is absolutely perfect and Warrior is the just the best name you could have given him for the blog. You and J make life with four kids look like a breeze!

Eleanor said...

He is so handsome and beautiful!! I am so glad you are home! Hope you are recovering well! We would love an update on you too! :)

Lindsay Simmons said...

I have been checking regularly, waiting for news (and pictures!) This was a wonderful dose of both. I am so happy for you. And continue to keep you in my prayers. May the healing continue, and the growth, for all involved.