Homecoming anniversary

This day last year we woke up in a parent room in the NICU ward, with our tiny little baby in a cot next to us . I remember we wheeled her into the ward so she could have her morning weight and temperature check. There was talk that we may be going home in the next week or so, but I was determined to not get my hopes up. We wheeled her back to our room so I could nurse her and so we could get showered and have some breakfast. After all three of us were fed and ready for the day, we got ready to wheel her out once again. As we were leaving the room, the doctor was about to knock on our room door. He had a smile on his face. He looked right into my eyes and said, "How would you like to go home today?" There are no words to describe the joy I felt in that moment. I was shocked, I thought he was joking around with us. Ken and I looked at each other in amazement. Could this be finally happening!? He told us to go with him to the ward so we could look at her chart and finalize things. When he saw her weight was up and she was feeding well, he said "Yeah, she's ready." The question now was, were we?

Our little baby was finally ready to come home!!!

The nurse asked us if we were ready. I said, "Umm not really! We don't have the carseat with us or any diapers...." Ken just hugged me and that's all I needed to calm down.

We left for a quick shopping spree during which we managed to spend $100 + in less than 20 min. We bought diapers, a diaper genie and refills, receiving blankets, a few outfits, and a few other odds and ends. The whole time I was giddy with excitement. My prayers had been answered. My baby was well enough to come home, I was finally going to graduate from being an NICU mommy.

We returned to the hospital geared up and ready. The process of getting her ready took almost 2 hours! The nurses did a carseat check, there was paperwork to be done, a hearing test, and various other hospital protocol details that are needed but tedious. Finally, everything was done and we left the Transitional Care Ward for the last time. Instead of being in a cot, Maddie was now in her little infant carseat. It was a bit surreal to take our little baby past the NICU entrance doors. Maddie's first experience of the outside world was a rainy, muggy day. But it was filled with sunshine brought on by our happiness. As we brought her inside our house, I whispered to her, "You are home."

And the rest is history.