Day 25

Today is our 25th day in the hospital (our 30th away from home), and we are finally going home! There is so much I feel like I should say, but I don't know what to say, so I'll say this:

Thank you, thank you, thank you for praying for our family during this ordeal! Our time here would have been far less bearable without your prayers. We are so thankful for so many dear friends and family who love and care for us so much!

Please continue to pray for us as we make the transition back home...

• Pray for our travel today, as we will be traveling with all three of our children, which is never an easy task!
• Pray for our boys, as they get used to living under Mommy's and Daddy's rules again, and as they will, I'm sure, miss such regular interaction with Grandaddy and GG. And, pray in general, for a smooth transition back into our regular schedules. (Especially sleeping schedules!!)
  
• Pray for my parents, as they transition back into their life without daily interaction with the grandkids.
• Pray for Justin, as he will hit the ground running with RUF stuff. We are fortunate that UTM doesn't start until the 30th, but he has missed an entire month of planning and preparing for the beginning of the school year, which is always his busiest (and most exciting) time of the year.
  
• Pray that Grace will continue to thrive. She is still not quite up to her full caloric needs. Her goal is 34-36 ounces per day, and she did just a little over 30 yesterday. She is almost there! The great news is that she has started taking in more with the bottle and less with the syringe. If we can get her to take in the full amount that she needs, then we'll be able to eliminate the syringe/force-feeding altogether.

I'm sure there will be more to report, once we get home, though I don't know if I'll have the time or energy for it! For now, a few more pictures...

Our construction-front view that we've had for the last week and a half. Actually pretty entertaining to watch all that goes on during the day -- cranes, welding, men hanging from the sides of the building, cement mixers. Can you tell we have a 3-year-old boy?
Last weigh-in on the hospital scales. This is actually post-weigh-in, with diaper on, thumb in mouth, and lovey in hand...the thumb and lovey have gotten her through a lot of hard days!

Our TEAM (after almost 30 hours at the hospital): Residents, Drs. Stewart and Jeter, Med students Kavida, Yawar, and Daniel, and Attending Dr. Britt. These people have seen us at our best and worst. They have woken us up on many mornings. They have taken great care of Grace, and we are thankful for them!

We love Miss Kecia!

And, Ms. Judy!

We are so thankful for the staff at Children's Hospital!