54 Days Later...

Jase is home!!! I can't believe he is actually here. I am so grateful this day has finally come. What a crazy few months this has been for us. It has been along week this week. It was hard thinking he was coming home on Monday because everyday I would go in so hopeful that they would tell me that that day was the day he was ready to go. Each day I would come home just a little disappointed.

On Thursday I went to see him and they had put a cannula back in his nose and put him on oxygen. I was a little bit sad that they had to do that again. He had done really well for about week without needed it, but had a rough day and night and they felt like it would be better if he had just a tiny bit of air. It seemed to help and I knew he could come home on oxygen if everything else looked good. That night Jeremy and our bishop give him a blessing to just help through the last few hurdles he needed to over come.

Friday morning I get a call from the discharge planner at the NICU saying he has done really well and it looks like he could go home with the oxygen. Once again I was so excited and also a little bit nervous because I wasn't sure how it would be with the oxygen. She also told me that they were going to send him home with a pulse-oximiter that would keep track of his heart rate and since he was coming home on monitors I would have to go and stay 24 hours at the hospital and take care of him while a nurse oversees everything. They wanted to make sure I could handle the monitors and take care of him also.

I stayed over Friday night in what was called a "family room." It was just a big hospital room with a queen-sized bed. They brought him into me and Jase and I just hung out! I didn't realize how much I was missing be not being able to REALLY take care of him. I got up with him every time he was hungry, changed his diaper, took his temperature and put him back to sleep. I'll be honest, I did forget how exhausting it can be, but it's part of being a mom and I loved being able to finally do that for him. Everything went really well throughout the night. The nurse would come in every once in a while to make sure we were OK. I expected to be there all day today to fulfill my 24 hours, but about 10:00 this morning a few different doctors came in and said everything looks good. Pack him up and take him home!!

This was his little corner of the NICU in St. George

Of course I had to take a few pictures while we hung out together on the bed

Kylie has done really well with him. She doesn't act really excited about him, but doesn't seem to not like him either. She is a very big helper and wants to do everything for him all by herself. After we got home today I was changing my clothes and getting ready for some of Jeremy's family to come over and Kylie comes up to me and says, "Mom, where are you going, to the hospital?" I was so happy to tell her I didn't have to go. She seemed pretty relived when I told her I didn't have to.

Just a few pictures for the grandmas...

Here he is in his car seat ready to come home. He now weighs 5 lbs 14 oz and has only grown 2 cm since we was born, so he is still about 16 1/2 inches. Is it weird to see a baby coming home from the hospital with his eyes wide open?

This is Ty and Jase. Ty is Jase's cousin and was born exactly a week after him. Ty is now about 8 lbs 6oz (I think). Jase will eventually catch up. The doctors say by the time he is 5 or 6 no one will ever be able to tell he was premature. Also genetics play the role in how big he will be someday not his prematurity.

I really can't even begin to express how grateful I am for all the love and support we have been shown while going through this. There is no way in the world we could have done this without the help of our family and friends. So many people have reached out to us and we will be eternally indebted to them! I have learned how important it is to let people help. Its just as important to let others serve as my serving other people. So many prayers were offered in our behalf and I know the hand of the Lord was there through every part of this. We have been eternally blessed and know that prayers have been answered. I am so thankful for the gospel and I know I can trust in my Heavenly Father and that he knew my needs and desires. My testimony has truly grown. I have also learned that Jeremy and I can get through anything together. I am so grateful for him and the support he was to me and his worthiness to give much needed blessings. I love my two little kids and I will take them anyway they come, whether it's 6 days late or 9 weeks early!