Could he really be ready?

First things first, Miles finally hit the 5 pound mark today by just 2 grams! But on to more important progress....

Is it so bad to want just a few more days? That, when the doctor said "a couple weeks", we countered it with the nurses caution not to expect him home until much closer to his due date. That we never imagined the fifth Brady Miles had on December 29th would be his very last. And that was BEFORE they took him off the caffeine. That we never considered that when push really came to shove, insurance would call the shots on when Miles was ready to go home. The thing is after he can maintain his body temperature, eat from a bottle and go 7 days without an A or a B, there is no medical need for him to be in the NICU, even if he is not even 36 weeks.

So if you have not figured it out by now, Miles is coming home and soon, very soon. And each day, it gets sooner. On Monday, we thought it was end of next week. It seemed like a safe bet. He was still having apneas and Brady's. On Wednesday, Dr. Lewis told us to be prepared for next Wednesday and the social worker scheduled our discharge meeting for Friday. On Thursday, the doctor on call cautioned it might be as early as this weekend based on his last Brady. Then today at our meeting, it was tentatively set for Tuesday, January 6th, when he will be six weeks old and just one day shy of 36 weeks.

You might ask if we are excited? That is just one of the emotions. With all of this time since he was born, we should be more than prepared but somehow it feels like it came out of nowhere. We have been spoiled in the NICU. The nurses measure and prepare the bottles. I just show up, change his diaper, take his temp, grab a clean pillow case and sit down to feed him. When he doesnt burp or won't eat, I ask for help or another nipple to try and when all else fails, they take over. Bottles, nipples, storage containers, vitamins, fortifiers, diapers, wipes, swaddles, hats, clothing...its all provided and washed for you. My point is, yes, we are very excited but nervous, like any first-time parents bringing their baby home. How are we going to take care of him without a nurse on hand? That he is a preemie makes it all the more scary!

All the same, we are looking forward to having him here....finally. No more monitors, back and forth trips to the hospital, endless pumping, parking tickets, etc. Our 5 + pound little man will take his place on 26th Avenue and before we know it, will be chasing Baker around the house, pulling his ears and tail, keeping us up all night and generally wreaking our havoc on our lives.

A word of caution, one Brady resets the count back to 7 days....