so happy to be home....

Sorry for no update yesterday, I am trying to get settled into our new routine. I got to come home on Saturday. I had to wait around all morning for the doctor to come in to release me. She finally came in around 2:00 and I think we were out of there by 3:00. My mom took me to the Macaroni Grill for lunch on the way home - it felt SO great to be outside to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and have some decent food! I am feeling really good. Everything seems to be healing up nicely and I am just taking ibuprofen for the pain/anti-inflammatory.
Cannon has had a great few days. Yesterday as my mom and I were waiting for them to get all the release paperwork done, we ran up to the NICU to visit him and they were just getting ready to take out the intubation tube. His breathing had improved enough that he could go back on the high flow nasal cannula. We got to watch the respiratory therapist take out the tube which was both exciting and hard at the same time. He was trying to cry, but his voice was pretty much gone due to the tube being in his throat for a while. He just scrunched up his face and wiggled around as they took the tape off his face. So hard to see him in pain. She was very quick and he seemed very happy to be back on his tummy all snuggled up when she was done. They started the breastmilk feedings through his gavage tube yesterday. They are giving him 2cc's every 3 hours. He is tolerating the feedings very well. They decided not to increase his feedings today because he is retaining some water. He is getting a diuretic called Lasix to help with that. He got his chest scan yesterday and the medicine did the job - his PDA valve was closed! He also got his IV removed from his belly button and put into his arm. They put the IV all the way up into his arm up to his chest near his heart. So, it is a small surgical procedure but the doctor said he did great especially since he was still on the breathing tube at that time. He is also off of the phototherapy lights for now.

These pictures hopefully put his size into perspective a bit:



I got to hold him for the first time last night. We did Kangaroo Care, which is where you hold him skin to skin. That way my body will keep his temperature up. It is supposed to be very good for the baby and of course I loved it! I got to hold him for about 30 minutes and he was awake for most of it. So cute to see him open up his tiny little eyes and look around. We can continue with the Kangaroo Care once a day.

On another note, please keep Charlie in your prayers. He got a cold over a week ago and was starting to feel better, but now he is sick again and it is much worse. He has had a fever of 102 all day and tonight his breathing is pretty labored. We are going to take him to the doctor in the morning. Also please pray that Eric and I do not get sick. There is just so much going on right now, I just don't think I could handle it.