Blur

So, on Thursday when we were transferred to the CCU, or step down unit, the resident who first saw Hope indicated that she "probably wouldn't be discharged tomorrow", which at the time was Friday. As indicated in "Coincidence?", Mon had slept over Thursday night and I had packed my stuff to spend the night Friday. I had just finished posting "Coincidence" when Monica came into the family lounge announcing, "We're going home!" The rest of the day was blur of activity and emotion. There were discharge instructions to be given, paperwork to be completed, prescriptions to be written. There was even a car seat test to insure that Hope's vital signs stayed stable in the car seat for a time equal to the length of our drive home. We were excited, nervous, hopeful, scared.

When we arrived at home, Shane and Liv were ecstatic. Giddy, even. Olivia couldn't stop giggling with Hope on her lap, and Shane just beamed.They were so gentle and loving, taking turns holding their new little sister. They even let Nonna have a chance.

Friday night was tough. Apparently, this is not atypical. A family friend who works with a pediactric cardiologist in California predicted this is an email to my Mom:

Tonight will be rough, I imagine. Hope is used to constant attention and the reality is she's not the only one in the house!!!

Hope was up crying every hour or more wanting to be fed or held or rocked. And, of course, I get pretty freaked out every time she cries hard -- and she does cry hard when she wants to eat. When hooked up to all the monitors in the hospital, you could watch Hope's heart rate and blood pressure skyrocket when she'd get agitated. Whenever she does this I worry about the stitches in her arteries. I wonder if that'll ever stop.

Saturday night was slightly better with some visits to her being slightly more than two hours apart. We'll get there!

Thanks to everyone who prayed for Hope, held Hope in the light, and/or thought positive thoughts for Hope! I firmly believe in the power of prayer and positive thoughts. Hope will continue to be closely monitored by a cardiologist and her pediatricians. She's not necessarily out of the woods, but certainly well on her way. Updates to the blog will likely not be as frequent, but feel free to check back (or use an RSS reader) to follow Hope's development. I might even sneak some Shane and Liv content in here, although this process has encouraged me to consider resuming my other blog.

Check out the new photo albums in the right nav!