Today marks the two years since we came home! We only had one hospitalization where we stayed overnight and it was really because of a tricky trache change and I was being a scaredy cat!

We have gone through so much as a family since Isaac was born at 25 weeks on April 3, 2014. Spending 10 months in the NICU was an eye opening and mind numbing experience if you can imagine those two emotions being combined. I remember going through the hallways of Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital every single day, oftentimes in a mad rush because something was going on with Isaac that day. At that time, it seemed as if going home was just going to be a dream. After a lot of prayers from family and friends it finally became a reality when we came home on February 25, 2015. We said goodbye to our doctors, nurses, and RT’s who have been a part of our family during the time we were there. We now faced the most formidable chapter of our lives, going home. You would think that it is time to breathe a sigh of relief because we do not need concern ourselves with spending money on parking, driving to the hospital everyday, and last but not the least, having to leave Isaac at night. Little did we know that coming home presented different challenges. We had to deal with staffing problems because we were supposed to get 24 hour nursing care but there was a lack of home health nurses and there was an even bigger problem in getting the right nurse that would be a great fit for Isaac and the family. After all, we would be seeing these nurses every single day! It would definitely help if we could get along. After a few months, we did get the team of nurses that we needed and I would say that having a consistent group of nurses helped keep Isaac home and away from any hospitalization. Our nurses became part of the family and it was like having a different friend come each day. Some of these nurses are not part of our staff anymore for various personal reasons but not because they really wanted to leave. We still keep in touch with them and they love seeing and hearing about Isaac’s progress.

After a few months of being home my friends started to make plans to come and have a get together at my house. These are the same group of friends that stayed with me all throughout the time that Isaac was in the hospital. They made sure that I joined them once in a while so I could take a break and unwind even if it meant we met somewhere close to the hospital so I could be near Isaac. My friends and I would hold gatherings at least two to three times a year at my house and that way they also kept up with Isaac. The first year they could only come close enough to hold his hand and rub his legs and feet. They were all nervous about carrying him because he was still attached to the vent. But this year we passed him around like a sack of potatoes! And he was happy enough to be carried by all the women! He was off the vent all day so he could spend a lot of time with his “aunt’s”.

Coming home with Isaac was very overwhelming and challenging. We really had to ask God for His mercy and guidance every single day! We saw how God moved people and circumstances to Isaac’s advantage. And my family and I bore witness to God’s undying love for His child Isaac. God bless!