WE ARE HOME!!

What an amazing turn of events today. We were just going through our "normal" hospital routine (as normal as it can be) when things started looking up for us.

1. I had been working with the lactation consultant and she was finally starting to see some better sucking and swallowing action. My little girl likes to cuddle up with mommy but she doesn't seem to be doing a lot of eating. They call it: non-nutritive sucking. They said it's very common in babies who have been through surgeries, trauma or are separated from their mommies. This was our best day by far.

2. Then we got the "unofficial" positive results from the hearing exam.

3. Then Dr. Javehery, our wonderful Neurosurgeon came in to check Annabelle's 3 incisions. The head and the abdomen are healing fine with no signs of infection. The back is still very open and will be an open wound (prone to infection) for quite some time because it was such a large lesion / opening. SO the decision he was faced with was to either keep Annabelle in the hospital several more weeks or send us home and let her back heel at home with proper wound care.

Letting us come home was what he chose. We were overjoyed with excitement! We all cried and hugged and immediately started working on the discharge paperwork, etc.

Although she is up 4oz from her birth weight, weighing 4lbs. 14 oz now she is still so tiny.

She didn't cry once in her car seat or on the ride home.

We were just a bit excited!

This was the best birthday present Branden could have ever asked for. His birthday is Thursday, August 13th so being able to wake up with all 3 of his children home was just a joy!

Thank you all again for the payers, love and support we have and hope to continue to receive for our daughter. It's wonderful to know the we are not alone in this journey.