Homecoming Queen

After hearing my pleas yesterday to make it home before her 100th day, Lily decided that enough was enough: she was ready to come home. So this afternoon, we said our goodbyes to the NICU and brought our little Bug home.



We had a bit of a scare this morning though. Brooke called to the NICU to check on Lily to see if today was the day. The Bug hadn't had an episode since Friday so things were looking good when we went to sleep last night. We were excited and we were pumped, but we also knew that it Lily isn't completely over her reflux issues. And sure enough, Nurse Julia told Brooke that Lil' had a minor episode with her morning feeding. It wasn't serious (but none of her episodes have been "serious" for quite some time) but it happened and it couldn't be ignored. Fortunately, everyone at the NICU agreed that it was nothing more than reflux and it wouldn't effect her at all-- they were still letting her come home! We were nervous about this since we didn't want her to come home before she was ready, but they all assured us that she would be just fine here at home. We simply need to make sure that she's inclined a bit after each feeding for a half-hour or so. And since she's on a monitor anyway, we'd know if there was a problem.

And so, Brooke and I drove up to New Brunswick for the last time (of course, we'll have to go back for doctors appointments and such in just a couple weeks, but you know what I mean). We were thrilled that Lily was coming home, but we both feel a great deal of sadness to be leaving, too. The people we've met at St. Peters have been amazing. They not only took care of our babies but they became our friends. They understood exactly what we've been going through. They knew the emotional toll this takes on us as parents, and they went out of their way to do whatever they could to make sure that our babies were treated as well as any babies have ever been treated. Lily and Charlie owe their lives to them. Brooke and I owe our sanity to them. We will be grateful to all the people at St. Peters for the rest of our lives.

And as Brooke just said to me right before I started typing this, the NICU was our connection to Annaleigh. It was the only home she ever knew, and going there every day was a way of keeping a connection with her. The thought of not going to the NICU tomorrow is actually not as joyful as we thought it would be.

But on to happier thoughts. When we brought Lily in the house (again decorated by Grandma Pam, aka "Crackers"), the first thing we did was introduce her to Charlie. I like to think they instinctively know each other already but seeing them together for the first time was something we've been looking forward to for a long time. And as we brought them outside to take a family picture in front of the house, a few butterflies were flying above the flowers in front of us. If you've been following our story for long, you know what that meant to us. You'll understand why we both shed a few tears at that.

So far, Lily's first day at home has been just as we hoped: quiet. Both she and Charlie have taken their feedings well and napped between them. Roy and Roger and Tucker have all seemed perfectly okay with this second new addition to our home, so that is one less worry.

Thanks to all people gave us suggestions about Charlie's sleeping habits. Fortunately, he had a fantastic night last night. He slept until his 1 a.m. feeding and then was wide awake for an hour or so afterward. Once I swaddled him and brought him upstairs to his bassinet, he made a quick stop to lay in bed with his mommy and then slept soundly until Brooke woke him up for his 5 a.m. meal. Then he slept for another hour on his own before Brooke decided to make a run at my job as the head of the Cuddles and Naps division. I woke up at 8:30 a.m. to find that she had put Charlie on her chest and fallen fast asleep on the couch. That was a nice sight.

Tonight we'll have to find a rhythm for feedings and all the accompanying fun. The goal is to see if one of us can handle the job alone while the other sleeps. We're really hoping we can do this because we'll need the rest. In any event, I'm sure it'll be an eventful night!

Suffice to say, it's been a busy day but a good day. We are beyond happy to have our babies home with us and we are looking forward to a lifetime of fun!


Our family!


Poor Brooke has to snuggle with TWO babies now. She really looks like she minds, huh?


Together at last

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This is Charlie at 1 a.m. Exactly nothing happens in the video besides Charlie making faces. I'm sure that nobody besides me and Brooke and maybe our parents will find it amusing, but I sure do love it!