April 23, 2013:

As you all might have heard by now from word of mouth or FaceBook, RJ is home!!! The preparation at the hospital started last week. There were a couple videos we each had to watch, we had to be trained on the Apnea monitor (monitors RJ's heart rate and breathing). It will alarm if his heart rate goes below 80 or above 240 and if he holds his breath and doesn't breathe for more than 20 sec. There is no sleeping through the alarms for me!! Good thing I'm a light sleeper. We were trained on using his oxygen tanks as well. Thank goodness they reduced the amount of meds he was taking down to Iron and Multivitamin. The nurses reviewed drawing up those 2 in separate syringes and giving them to RJ either mixed up in a lil milk or push down his NT tube. Yes, I was trained how to insert a baby 5 french NG tube down RJ's lil nostril. He wasn't taking all his bottles before leaving the NICU step down unit called Neo, so I've been having to give him some of his feedings down his tube.  Friday evening while I was getting some last minute groceries, I got a phone call from the NICU. The charge nurse was giving us a courtesy call saying they needed to move RJ down to Neo since he was the most stable baby in the NICU to make room for some other sick ones. Yes, RJ was the healthiest of the selection of babies!!! I was nervous about him being moved and trying to get used to a new environment knowing that we would probably be discharged in a couple days. I had gotten used to our place in Nursery 5.
At rounds on Friday there was talk of either being discharged Sunday or Monday. The Attending for Sunday tended to be bold. She's the one who said RJ was big enough to come out of his isolette box and into a big boy bed quicker than we were expecting. So, the team was getting everything ready in anticipation of possibly discharging us Sunday. All our follow-up appointments were made except one, I spoke w/ the nutritionist about a home feeding plan, and we were trained on the Apnea monitor/oxygen tanks.
Friday RJ and I had some good snuggle time even though it was broken up by some training. Robert left around noon to go home to pack for his 10 yr high school reunion at SVA, so RJ and I hung out. :) My mom and her husband came in Friday night and then we all spent some time w/ RJ on Sabbath in his new room down in Neo. It was much quieter down there. Alarms weren't going off like crazy and there wasn't a lot of conversations or extra noises like up in the NICU. It was rather relaxing. We had a corner spot by the nurses computers.
Saturday night I was nervous b/c there was the possibility of going home Sunday and I wanted to be ready. I ended up having a very hard time falling asleep and it wasn't until after 11:30pm before I finally fell asleep. I got up early Sunday morning to take a shower and blow dry my hair. I wanted to look extra nice in anticipation of taking pictures. I even brought  a shirt to change into for Robert and I that coordinated w/ RJ's going home outfit. We packed my mom's car w/ all the necessities for discharge/going home. Robert got on the road early from Virginia to quickly travel back 6hrs. It was a nerve racking morning until rounds took place. Our nurse practitioner for the day came to examine RJ earlier and did her final assessment in anticipation that the Attending would agree to send us home!! Sure enough, around 11am we got the official word, WE ARE GOING HOME WITH OUR LIL BOY!!!! I texted Robert and he was fighting back the tears as he drove. It was a whirlwind for the next multiple hrs as discharge teaching was done and we got everything ready. Robert arrived around 2:30pm and helped take RJ's belongings, including 3 bins full of my frozen milk. :) My mom went ahead and took that home, while Robert and I had a special ride w/ our lil son for the first time. We walked out of the hospital at 4:07pm exactly. Both Robert and I looked at our phones. :) We found a random stranger to take pictures of us as we were walking out of the hospital and getting into the car. It was a very surreal moment.... It's still hard to believe.
RJ seems to be lovin being here at home and all the attention he is getting. We have a lil co-sleeper sitting next to me in our bed so he can sleep right with us. He's such a grunter and wiggler. That's what he does all night. I sure hope he can gain weight w/ all the exercise he does. He makes the funniest lil noises. :) I thought I was tired getting up in the middle of the night to pump. It didn't fully prepare me for q3hr feedings, diaper changing, and clean up that takes around an hr each time. Oh and still trying to pump. Oh mercy... sleep where are you??? It's still so hard to believe that he's home and we actually have a lil baby boy. :) We are soooo blessed....
Last night we gave RJ his first bath at home in the tub. We registered for a bath chair that has a mesh fabric he sits on and can feel the nice warm water. He really seemed to be enjoying himself. It was quite adorable. Oh I have to mention that last night I was getting ready for bed and took a peak at Robert and RJ. Robert was in a deep sleep and RJ was snuggled on his chest fast asleep. It was a precious picture. Wish I had actually taken a picture. :)