Home Again

As I sit down at the desk this morning, I glance over to the Office calendar and the date showing is Wednesday April 13. "I know about your diabolical plan. I found a copy of it in the copier tray." Ryan, to Dwight. That was the day we left home, not knowing how long we were going to be gone. We were preparing for about a month, as last time was 46 days in total in the hospital. We made it by this time in a mere 12! We came out a little more grey, and a lot more thankful. Chris and I had one time together away from the hospital (ok out front of the hospital) Where we could connect and decompress a little. Other than that we were where we needed to be, at Owen's side, or resting at Ron's. The kicker here is that when you are so immersed in a situation, it is hard to actually digest what is actually going on. I felt the only emotional releases I had were on my drives/shuttles over to Ron's, and then I stuffed them away so that I could sleep. There was too much to be done at the hospital, between playing with Owen, calming him for iv placements/labs, helping manage pain, giving massages to Owen, distracting him during ECHOs and EKG's, feeding/changing, pumping, being available for when the care team came around, reading to Owen, distracting him from pulling/itching at his sternal incision, chest tubes, ng tube, 3 leads, O2 sat monitor, blood pressure cuff, and IV sites. There was just enough time to eat and pump, but it was even busier than home, so I was off most days in my pumping. It takes a lot for me to miss a meal, however! Basically, his oxygen levels were the same without oxygen as they were on 2liters. He hangs out in the low-mid 70-s. When calm or sleeping he goes up into the low 80's, and when crying or mad he dips into the mid 60's. This variability is normal for cyanotic birth defects. You may be thinking-His sats didn't really improve much- which has been on our minds as well. The fact of the matter is that Owen's surgeries are considered palliative, which means they are not curative. They are surgical band aids that allow him to grow, and have a good shot at activity and living. But he will never be 100%. As long as the team is fine with him, so are we! We just accept that he is stable and move on! When you get the green light for discharge, you just go go go, pack, and get outta there! Chris left and went to Ron's to do laundry, and the once over with the staff member. I packed up our stuff at the hospital. The second to last thing to be packed was Owen's toys. As I was putting them in a bag, he squealed and had a fit! His first legitimate tantrum! It was hilarious!! The last thing to be packed was my frozen breastmilk. We took our last wagon ride to the car (all of our bags were in the wagon this time.) As much as we love the prius, it isn't the best for long trips or extended hospital stays... But we fit! We could have fit in a smart car if we needed to to get home! On the ride home, while Owen was in a benedryl induced nap, I couldn't help but let go of some emotion. It is such a whirlwind of emotions with any procedure your child has, let alone 4 cardiac interventions. The roller coaster was a bit smoother this time, but that memory of "last time" is still so raw that it is challenging to put that out of your thoughts. It felt so dang good to be free, to be on our way home, and Owen leaving with the same tube he came in with, no more, no less! With a quick stop into the pharmacy to stock up on prescriptions, we were home in a jif. We were welcomed by Julie and Shane, who were using their day off together to help us out. Julie was on the riding mower and Shane was alternating between the push weed wacker and the hand held. These two were out on our property until they ran out of light. It looks so amazing, and we are so grateful for your service to us. I think I'm going to log roll down the hill later on today! It looks like a park out there. Your willingness to help us out just makes me get emotional all over again. You guys are the BOMB!

When we walked into the house, Chris and I kept saying how different it looked inside. The lighting was beautiful around 5pm and it felt like we had clearer, brighter, happier glasses on. There is nothing like the sweetness of home. Thank you Jay, Mat, Elly, and Ash, and Kim, Jon, Rylee, Brody, and Taylee for all of your help around the house. Mom was able to bring us the mail halfway through our sf stay. Last night Owen's hives were getting worse, despite the round the clock benedryl. We gave him a bath with our castile soap, and put him to bed. They started to crop up again and spread about 5 hours after the dose, and 6 hours is the recommended time of administration. He seemed to sleep okay, besides itching his incision site as well. He was back to his normal, up every 3 hours schedule. We had a great morning breastfeeding session, and he is back for his nap. I am headed that way myself. Ah, to be home again!!
One of Owen's faves from last time, Linda.
Aunt Jac, Uncle Colin, and Owen buried in his crib of toys.
Owen's homeboy Vince.
Lean back...
If you look hard to the left you can see Shane working the hill!
Julie rocking it on the rider! THANK YOU!!!