We are HOME!

Believe it or not - 5 days post surgery and we are home! We are excited, exhausted and adjusting to what will be another new normal for the next 4-6 weeks.

The boys were excited to have Mom and Dad home and yet we've been dealing with a bit of "fussing" from Jackson which is very typical when such events have occurred in our family. But I have learned time and time again that this is his way of adjusting to the stress of having a family member in the hospital and missing his Mom and Dad. So rather than be stern with him I choose to just love on him and let him vent. We've also decided that he could sleep in the loft just outside our room so that he could be close to us all night. I'm trying to avoid him jumping in our bed as we need to be protective of Greg.

As soon as Greg got home we sat down with Jackson and showed him "Daddy's boo-boo". At first he seemed a bit scared, but soon was begging Aunt Kim to come take a look. We want him not to be scared and to realize that he needs to be gentle with Daddy. Jackson is great at being gentle and loving - something he's shown us with his interactions with Everett. Later on today I heard him telling Aunt Kim that God would fix Daddy's boo-boo.

It's great to be HOME! I've not yet been able to respond to e-mail or phone calls, but will try to in time. Please know that we've gotten each one of them and appreciate it greatly.

My in-laws are coming tomorrow and we are all looking forward to their visit and their help. The next several weeks will be an adjustment as our normal routine and busy life will be altered.

As for Greg, well it's utterly amazing to look at him and think that less than a week ago he was preparing for open heart surgery. He looks amazing and the tough part now will be ensuring that he gets enough rest and does not push it. We will get into a routine tomorrow of scheduled meals, medication and short walks around the neighborhood.

Tonight I will leave you with the words shared with us by a nurse assistant this week as he openly talked about his testimony - "God is Good!" God has brought us through another tough time and surrounded us with family, friends and a church community. Indeed God will provide and he knows what we need and when we need it.

Moving Along

Everything is moving along for Greg. His chest tube was able to come out today and the six pumps of IV medications he had on the first day have been reduced to one and only used on occasion. As of this morning he is still in ICU, but just before I left to come home quick the doctor shared that he could probably move out to the floor today. That is always a good and welcomed sign. Last night Greg started to really feel good for a while and so we had my dad bring up a DVD player and some movies. We tried to have a little date night in the hospital room, but neither of made it very far into a movie before we fell asleep. Today Greg is feeling really tired which is to be expected.

I am eager to have all my boys back home again. The trips back and forth are taxing and stressful because I want to be with all of them right now and that's just not possible. Jackson and Everett are doing great! Jackson has made a full recovery thanks to antibiotics and is having a really great time with Aunt Kim. Last night the boys were able to get together with their cousins for a pizza party and it was so good to call and hear all the kids in the background running, laughing and having fun.

Thanks to Bill, Stefan and Mike for the new addition to our home office. When I found out Greg needed surgery I wanted to convert our downstairs office to a place where he could rest and recover, but not be too far from the rest of the family. Last night these guys picked up a sofa sleeper from IKEA and got it all set up for Greg. It looks great and will be a perfect place for Greg to rest while still being involved in the daily action around here.

Hopefully we'll be moving out of the ICU today and then will have a better idea of when we will get to come home. Although he's not up for talking much, Greg has appreciated the e-mails, phone calls and text messages. Thanks from both of us!