Bustin' outta this joint...

I have been a heart Mama for all of 17 days now. The biggest lessons I have learned so far have been about patience and learning that there are no guarantees. I have kissed my sweet baby girl goodbye,sending her to have her precious heart stopped, knowing that there was a chance she would never come home. I have seen that heart beating inside her tiny chest and thanked God for every beep of the monitors. Now we take the next big step, and go home. Yes, I said the magic word...HOME! Because Caroline is shunt dependent, these next few months are going to be stressful and downright terrifying. No germs, no getting sick, counting and fortifying bottles, doctors visits every week. We have to be prepared to go to the hospital again with any change in her oxygen saturation, weight loss or even a slight fever. But for now, we are happy with our baby girl at home. We have a lot to learn, but we are super excited to begin the next phase. Thank you all for the happy thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray that Caroline gains weight and thrives here at home...where she belongs.