After 7 1/2 weeks, Miss Addy, we, DID IT!  She's home after a 54 day NICU stay.  We're so proud of her.  She wouldn't even be considered full term until tomorrow, Tuesday, when she would be classified as 37 weeks gestation.  Anything after 37 weeks is considered full-term.

Parent Care was a WONDERFUL experience and we seemed to get more Q & A time with the doctors.  The nurses were even better than they already were!  We got loaded with goodies, bottles, nipples, some Enfacare Nursettes, a Halo Sleepsack with "St. Mary's NICU" embroidered on it, diapers, disposable changing pads, and more.  They fed us 3 meals a day up there and also gave us snacks for all those middle of the night feedings.  They were so helpful.  Parent Care was pretty much glitch free except for one oxygen desaturation spell on Friday evening and a serious problem with her leads that connected to the monitor in the NICU via wireless connection.  My mom came up a few times to keep me company as Charley worked all weekend.  But, Charley's boss switched his days off for him so he could be off today to bring Addy home! 

We are so blessed to have her home.  It STILL doesn't feel real yet.  There is this baby in my house and she's mine!  She's such a good baby and is practically still sleeping all the time.  But, I do think she's had a busy day.  We were discharged around noon and stopped by the shop to do a few quick things and to let Grandma get a little spoiling time in.  Everyone was aware to was their hands and use hand santizer.  It was super nice that they were all aware of it, but I was a nervous wreck the first time someone reached for her.  Everyone is afraid to hold her, and in some ways I like that because I'm so scared of her getting sick. 

I just want to say now that Charley & I will do whatever it takes to protect Addy from germs and from all the horrible illnesses she could get.  PLEASE do not take it personal.  She was on oxygen for quite a while and is now on an apnea monitor in case she stops breathing.  "Back to Sleep" is important for all babies, but it's vital for a Preemie who is home off of hospital monitors because of her chances of suffocation or blocking her airway because she is not as strong as a Newborn should be. We are comfortable with it now, but at first it's very scary...and it should be...because the risks ARE very real.  So, please, with all the sincerity in our hearts, we ask that you PLEASE PLEASE refrain from touching her when we are out and about.  We don't really mind others holding her, but we will ask you as politely as we can to go scrub your hands thoroughly and to use hand sanitizer.  In public places, we may not let you hold her at all or touch her merely because after all the germ factors we've seen.  Our little brains see germs transferred from one surface to another.  It may not affect you, but we know it could affect Addy and we don't want that.  There is a PINK STOP SIGN on her infant carrier and stroller that says "Please wash your hands before touching mine."  And, WE MEAN IT!  Also, if you smoke, that is fine, but DO NOT come near Addy if you even have the smallest wiff of smoke on you.  Her discharge papers cited RDS (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) at birth and as a result of her treatments, she was also discovered to have had an extremely mild case of Chronic Lung Disease.  In time, Addy will grow out of these things, BUT, for now, we have to take every single precaution.  We cannot lock ourselves in our home for the next year, as we must live to some extent, so we ask all of these favors from you nicely.  We really don't want to cause an argument over it or damage relationships, we just want to protect our daughter the best we know how.  We lost Reagan to something we cannot control, and we refuse to lose Addy to something we can control.

But anyway, onto the fun stuff! PICTURES!

Addy just got buckled in and ready to go with Reagan's Teddy Bear.  Reagan followed us home, we know she did!


Addy loaded up in the NICU wagon.  They will all NICU graduates out of the NICU in this wagon.  Before we left, Pat, her nurse this morning wheeled us through the NICU.  We went through Levels 1, 2, & 3.  We hadn't seen Level 3 in a while, it all seemed so much different all of a sudden.  I can't describe it....only that it felt and looked different now that Addy was no longer there.  We wheeled through Level 3 (the most critical) because that was where Addy started and we saw some teeny tiny babies, much like Addy when she was there..we said bye to those nurses and then went through Level 2, and then through Level 1.  We missed a lot of our favorite nurses, but we saw and said goodbye to a lot of our most recent good nurses up in Level 1.  They've all been so awesome and we already miss them terribly!  They have helped us heal with Reagan and have mourned Reagan's death AND prayed for Addy....they are an extended family to us...one we are forever grateful for!


Pat, her nurse this morning wheeling her out of the Women & Children's hospital.  The last time Addy was near this entrance she was in my belly on August 2nd at around 7:30pm.


Addy in mommy's car and ready to go.  It was bright, so she was squinting!


Addy finally home!


Our decorations that my mom surprised us with!  Thanks momma!


More decorations, and the bows are from Aunt Stasia!  THANKS!


From a distance..


"Welcome Home" greeted us at the garage door!




Daddy, Addy, & Mommy - Finally home TOGETHER!


Welcome Home Baby Girl!


Addy enjoying her Pack N Play.  She has already taken about a 45 minute nap in it.  She LOVES the vibration and the white noise music!  We're SO glad we have this!  It's already been handy!


Addy in her bouncer from Shawn Shawn (Sonja!) in her crib. 


A close up of Addy in her bouncer. 


Addy asleep in her crib next to her bear from her Granny & Poppy.


YEAH! I'm HOME!