Finally ...

The post everyone has been waiting for....

Emma is home!

8 weeks and 2 days after her birth, Emma is finally at home with us. When she started to have slightly elevated temperatures yesterday, I wasn't sure it would happen, eventhough, the neurosurgery department said that was typical. I called last night at 10 and again this morning at 6:30 just to be sure everything was still going well. Her nurses said she was fine and her temperatures had been normal overnight. I arrived around 8 still not sure if we'd leave or not. The nurse practitioners said that they were planning to let her go if her surgeon cleared her. Then the neonatologist examined her and said that she looked great. When neurosurgery finally arrived, they were very pleased with how she was recovering. Thank God!

I kept waiting for something to happen that would change their minds. Surely, it couldn't be this easy!! Then again, they have always said that a shunt would bring her home. We packed up her room, put on her coming home outfit, and fed her one last time. None of her regular nurses were there unfortunately, but our nurse today was wonderful. Everyone wished us luck and told us how well she would do and how lucky she was to have us, which made us feel so good! We got one last parking sticker and pushed our stroller out the door, this time with Emma in it! It was a strange feeling. The ride home was nice, but of course, I worried about ever little bump and couldn't understand why people around us weren't more careful. Didn't they know we had a baby in the car??? Okay, maybe not.

Our first day has been tiring. She already had a HUGE sit up all over her beautiful outfit. I of course panicked. She doesn't normally spit up and throwing up is a sign that something might be going wrong with her shunt. I reminded myself, though, that she had just eaten when I put her in her bouncy seat on vibrate. Oops! She's been fine the rest of the day.

Having her home is harder than we ever imagined. We're still getting used to the shunt and every little thing that is out of her pre-operation routine, makes my mind race. Our friends, Keith and Stacey, came over to see us though and got dinner for us. They've been through some of what we're going through and Stacey is a nurse so it made me feel so much better. Emma finally had a 4 oz feeding which is what she is used to and has been much calmer this evening. She is even snoozing now in Daddy's arms. We're tired already, but I know it will get better. It's just so nice to have her here!