He's Home!!

As of May 26, Isaac came home!! You can see his video of our 74 day NICU journey here. His due date being June 14, we were shocked he got to come home early! Many times I'll walk by Isaac sleeping in the swing and just whisper, "Thank You God." Little did I know 3 months ago laying there on the OR table how God would accomplish His purpose in Isaac's life, and never have I experienced such grace and peace at what should seem like a terrifying moment.

By God's grace, we are sloooowly adjusting as a family of 5. We have had some bumps in the road these last 3.5 weeks, but we are starting to figure him out. Since his homecoming, his reflux really flared up causing more frequent destats. We were discharged with his weight being about 5 lb 12 oz and is now up to 7lb 12 oz! Weight gain is huge, because it means that his body isn't burning calories to keep up oxygen. I don't think we could've quite been prepared for the adjustment of the monitors and oxygen, even with the NICU experience. We have just been learning how to respond when the alarms sound, and if it's a real or false event. And because he's not exactly mobile with the oxygen, it's been a challenge to figure out how to make it work for everyone. We have definitely been in trial and error mode! Every Thursday, Isaac is seen in the pulmonology clinic to monitor his progress, since he has a minor case of Chronic Lung Disease, and we've managed to be at the pediatrician every week also for something. He's got a great team of doctors who we've bonded with.

All that said, Isaac is an 'easy baby'. Our little fighter, has been through so much! He puts himself to sleep so easily and has gotten in a good routine. We are also so thankful for how the kids have adjusted. For being 5 and 3, they have done extremely well. I think seeing how far he's come, and our family's prayers on his behalf has made them thankful for their little brother's homecoming. Esther, especially, has been a tremendous help. I wouldn't at all be surprised if she ends up being a nurse someday! She can't wait for him to get past his quarantine stage so she can show off her little brother. We look back at January of 2010 when we first taught Esther Romans 8:28 and marvel at how God has been working everything in our family for His glory and our good. I can see how we've all grown through these things.

Stephen aptly stated, "We have gotten off one train and on another since Isaac's homecoming." We have had good days and bad days and had to remind ourselves of the promises of God continually. Anything good others have seen in us is purely God's grace. His grace has been sufficient for the past and will be for the future.

And our prayer is this "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy," Jude 1:24