NICU Day 123 ~ (April 20th)

~All dressed up for the trip home!!~

 After all the confusion on Thursday, I was fully prepared for a lengthy discharge process on Friday; but it was not necessary.  With one signature, a change of outfits, and the packing of a just a few items, we were out the door and on our way home!! 

~"Thank you for taking care of me!"~

We said good bye to her nurses, a couple of which had been her nurses the first time she was here in February.  She was only half her current size at that time (less than 2 lbs.), so they had enjoyed seeing how much she had grown in the previous 2 months.

~Final Goodbyes~

We did get stopped quite often on our way out due to her little tutu and headband, custom made by our sweet friend, Emily Curtis (http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmmysBB).

~Ready for the ride home~

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip home, knowing that our precious bundle was in the backseat sleeping contentedly.  She is now settling back into her own surroundings, and we are loving being mobile and able to carry her around home without being attached to machines.  While I would never wish the ER experience on her again, we are incredibly grateful for the way God orchestrated the surgeon He desired to perform the surgery, our neonatologist Dr. Tatum to be on service, and the ability for her to come off her oxygen.  In the end, it made this last week worth it and allows us to remove that surgery from the list of things to still be performed. 

~This one is a little fuzzy but too cute not to share.  Happy to be home!!~

We were very aware of your constant love and prayers this past week and thank you for your persistence in prayer on our behalf.  We look forward to sharing more milestones in Noelle's life in the days to come.

***Again, now that we are home, I will post only once or twice a week as we settle into a new routine and enjoy time together as a family***

NICU Days 107 & 108 ~ (March 23rd & 24th)

We are thrilled that our sweet little girl weighed in at 3 lbs. 2 oz. tonight!!!  She continues to do very well and is simply eating and growing constantly these days.  We are thoroughly enjoying all the time we are able to spend with her each day as well as all the opportunities we now have to interact with her.

The fact that we are parents is becoming more and more real to us each day, and we are excited to soon be taking the next step in that journey and bringing her home.  No major decisions are made on the weekends, so today was a fairly "boring" day; and we are looking forward to Monday and discovering if she is now big enough to be scheduled for the x-ray test on her intestines.  In the meantime, we are waiting and praying and just enjoying watching her grow.  Thank you for continuing to pray!

 ~Many people have sent special items for Noelle, and the ones pictured tonight are just a couple of things that sweet friends have made specifically for Noelle.  The first item pictured is a custom made headband from Chastity Gomez (http://www.etsy.com/shop/EllaBellaCreations11) and the second is a tiny custom made bracelet from Emily Curtis (http://www.etsy.com/shop/EmmysBB).  We are so thankful for the many acts of love for our tiny girl.  Thank you!!~