Woah.

Has it really been an entire (almost) four weeks? Or has it only been four weeks? Either way, it's been jam-packed with emotions... among several other things. The most important being that our little man is finally home. Ahhh....

It began with us visiting the little guy at Primary Children's on Sunday the 21st. We were informed that there was a possibility of him being transferred to Intermountain Medical Center. Torn because we loved the nurses so much at Primary's but knowing IMC could be a better environment for him, we tried not to focus on it. It was only a possibility, they said.

The "possibility" became a reality when the next morning at 9:00 AM we got a call telling us he'd be transferred within the hour. I met him there about an hour after he was settled, and walked into a room with just Jack inside. Compared to Primary's with a total of six babies in his large room, this was quite a shocker. It was so quiet... I'm not sure he knew what to think as his large eyes shifted around the room, trying to understand what was happening. Poor kid - it was his third hospital within a month.

They welcomed him right in, and we soon discovered that the nurses were just as good there as they were at his former home.

Jack's goal was to take his entire feeding every time he ate, while remembering to breathe, which kept his heart rate up - for two days straight. At Primary's his feeding schedule was every three hours, which just wasn't cutting it. We weren't sure we would ever get him home with that schedule - unlike his dad, he just didn't want to eat that much. They put the remaining food not taken by mouth through his feeding tube, which happened more often than not.

Which was why it was quite a surprise to walk in to Jack's room the next day to see a feeding tube-free baby.

They had changed his schedule to feed him whenever he was hungry... and it was working wonders already! We were thrilled and so proud of our little guy. He was doing awesome!
Meanwhile, I spent less time at IMC than I had at Primary's. We had decided to move before I had Jack, and it had taken almost an entire month to find renters to take our place (which was required with our standing contract). Knowing that Jack was improving quickly and given a date to be out of the apartment by, I spent most of my days packing, cleaning, and taking loads to the new place.

By Wednesday afternoon, Jack was only a few hours away from reaching his goal - and we were told that he was likely go home the next day. As much as we had been praying, waiting and hoping for that to happen, we felt more unprepared than ever. The next day we walked into the hospital knowing we'd be leaving with our son. We were prepped on everything and thought we were ready... until Chris accidentally happened to catch his cords on something and tore them off. Normally the nurse would replace them; this time she didn't. We held a "wireless" baby for the first time... and we were petrified. Without monitors to tell us if he was ok, all we could do was pray that he was... and that he stayed that way.

Look mom! No cords!

Can't wait to go home. Finally!

We chose to keep him coming home a surprise, not telling anyone. That was fun. What wasn't fun was coming home to this.

Poor Jack. Poor me… spending the last month putting it all together with a new baby has taken longer than usual.

We at least had a bed for him...

...and this was our sleeping situation until today, when we finally finished and put his cradle together we started on before his arrival.
Jack is doing very well – other than the fact that he seems to be confused about which is day and which is night. He’s still really sleepy, which is expected. He brought with him a never–ending mountain of laundry… which was also expected, but not as cool as his sweet smile and deep blue eyes when he seems to be studying us.
The kid hates being naked or cold, and isn't afraid to let us know. Ear plugs might be a smart thing to invest in until he likes either getting his diaper changed or taking a bath... the kid also has a great set of lungs.

One word to describe the last four weeks? Unexpected. Imagining it was nothing… the reality is that there is nothing, much like delivering a child, that can prepare you for parenthood. The good news is...

It's totally worth it.