Let the sun shine in!

Let the sun shine in!!!

The little black cloud had lifted, and the sun was shining on us now.  Christopher was recovering from surgery, and he was back up to full strength formula at his normal rate.  The infectious disease doctor had released Christopher from his service.  The antibiotics had knocked out the infection, so his work was done.  The surgeon had also released Christopher.  The incision was still partially open, but it was healing quickly.

The healing ability of infants is absolutely astonishing.  They heal so much faster than older people.  Their ability to regenerate their bodies after surgery is nothing short of incredible.  We were once in a room with a 3 month old baby who had just had open heart surgery.  The day after the surgery he was cooing, smiling, and kicking his little legs and arms as if nothing had ever happened.  If you would have seen him lying in his crib, you would have never guessed that he had just had major surgery the day before.   He looked and acted perfectly normal.  I asked his mom several times...are you sure he had open heart surgery yesterday?    She had a hard time believing it too.  We both shook our heads in amazement.

All that was left was for the pediatric GI specialist to release us from the hospital.  Once she gave us the nod, we would be able to go home.  She came in to examine Christopher and to make sure that I was clear on all the instructions for caring for him at home. 

I would be responsible for cleaning Christopher's incision and changing the sterile gauze.  I would also need to care for his J-tube site, and be able to give him is tube feedings for approximately 14 hours per day.  The doctor also explained that I needed to give Christopher the rest of his antibiotics, and that I needed to be especially vigilant in watching for signs of infection.  She told me to call her immediately if I saw any redness or fever.  I nodded my head, and told her that I was clear on all the discharge instructions.  "The care and feeding" of Christopher was very specific and extensive.  I was beginning to think that I needed a nursing degree in order to be a good mother to my son.

With the hospital release papers signed, we headed for home.  Mike, Michael, and Ryan were already at home waiting for us.  As we pulled in the driveway, I smiled.  We were home, and now we were going to be a family again.  Things were going to get back to normal or at least some kind of a "new normal." 

Mike, Michael, Ryan, and Christopher

When the boys saw Christopher come in the door, they rushed to say hello to him.  They were both excited to see him.  Michael sat and talked to him for the longest time.  He was in "big brother" mode, and he was very gentle and sweet with Christopher.  Ryan was glad to see him too, but he was even happier to see me.  I held him for a long time, and then he took his usual place...hanging from my leg. 

Mike, ever the dutiful husband and father, welcomed us with hugs and kisses.  We talked about how happy we were to be at home again, and how we were so glad that things were going to get back to normal.  The worst was surely behind us.  Things were going to be different than we had ever expected or planned for them to be.  Christopher  needed to be tube fed, but we had a new feeding tube installed in his abdomen.  We were getting more comfortable with caring for Christopher, and we were becoming experts in managing and troubleshooting the tube feedings. 

The circus is back in town.

Yup, we were all home again, and everything was as it should be.  Mike was working in his office, Michael was running all around the house, Ryan was clutching my leg, and Christopher was sitting in his bouncy chair hooked up to his feeding tube.  The 3-ring circus was back in town, and the sun was shining brighter than ever!










More sunshine tomorrow...








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