Home Sweet Home!

On Thursday, March 25th, 2 weeks post-delivery and after 2 weeks in the NICU, Kinsley was finally discharged from the hospital! Our strong baby girl made huge strides over the last week and showed the nurses and doctors she was ready to eat and breathe on her own. I ended up staying with her the last night in the hospital in what's called the "nesting suite" for parents of NICU babies on the night before discharge...the nurses are still there for support and monitoring Kinsley, but all of the overnight feedings, changings, etc. are completely up to the parents. Philip was going to stay with me too, but we decided that one of us needed to have a good night's rest for the next day...what a great decision since I got very little sleep that night. We survived our very first mommy/daughter "girls night in"...another memory I will have with me for years to come.

After some professional-photos taken bedside in her NICU room (they turned out amazing - will post later once I receive the disk!), we received our discharge papers and made our way off the 7th floor. Remember in my previous blog how I thought I missed out on the "traditional" way of leaving the hospital? Well, I got my chance...I was wheeled out in a wheelchair by a nurse, our baby girl in my lap, Philip video-ing everything and getting the car & carseat ready, his mom pushing our cart of belongings alongside us, all of us tearing up at some point on our journey down.

We finally left Northside as a family for the first time that Thursday afternoon. Our initial admission to the hospital on March 6th and the birth of our baby girl on March 11th all seem so long ago...in fact, I have no idea where the month of March went, and I cannot believe that Easter is next weekend...I have lost all track of time. Now, we are getting used to our routine at home...it's not what I thought it would be. I feel like the days are shorter, broken up by feeding times. We are trying to get used to a new sense of "normalcy" around the house, catching up on bills, mail, cleaning, thank you notes (I am sooo behind)...our new sleepless-nights schedule, and thank goodness for all of the help from our moms and the meals from friends and neighbors...we are just glad to be doing everything at home vs. the hospital these days. Hunter is doing amazing...he is beside her all the time, curious when she makes noises and "concerned" when she cries, and loves smelling her diapers. :) He has been such a good dog. He seems to already understand that she is our newest family member. So, here are a couple of photos from our first trip home with Kinsley. What an answer to prayers.

In her "photo/portrait" outfit, and the last time hooked up to the monitors!

Notice the question marks on the screen? Kinsley was finally disconnected from monitors!

Ready to go home!

Waiting in the wheelchair for Philip to bring around the car and bring in the car seat!

Our little peanut all bundled up since it was cold and rainy outside (ahhh, March weather in Atlanta...temp. in the 70's one day and in the 50's the next day).

Ready for her first car ride in her Graco car seat.

Almost ready to roll!

Finally in the driveway!

Home sweet home.