He's Home!

At about 4:45pm this afternoon, we walked through the door to our apartment with our precious little nearly-six-month-old baby boy! We have a feeding pump, apnea monitor, six medications, about a truckload of odd end accessories, orders and scrips for numerous follow-up appointments and labs..... and a chubby little bundle of joy! So far, he seems most impressed with the ceiling fan in our bedroom (where his cradle is set up) and he seems quite confused by everyone being SO tall! He's used to seeing people just a couple of feet above him from the crib but the cradle is low to the ground and we're all giants from that perspective.

I wonder how long it will take for him to realize that this is home. He probably still expects to see his nurses come bedside any time. I've got to admit, it would be nice if a nurse came with all the other equipment but I'm certain I can handle the different aspects of his care just fine. And, of course, I will have his Nana Cain helping me out some mornings and his Daddy helping at night and on weekends.

We're letting Hannah sleep through to the end of her nap before springing her on him. A cranky Hannah is much harder to control than a well-rested Hannah. We're going to have to go over his care carefully with her, making sure that she understands fully that she is not to touch Kyle without supervision and only really gentle touches then, and she is not to touch any of the nifty gadgets that come with him. One demonstration of the loud noise from the apnea monitor should get that idea across to her, though.

Bulletin for all those who would like to visit Kyle....

I am going to be strict about visitors. All visitors MUST wash their hands thoroughly on arrival and after any trips to the bathroom regardless of whether or not they will be actually holding Kyle.

Obviously, we don't want too much excitement for Kyle so I will also have to limit how much he is passed around. Visitors will likely get to hold him but no passing him off every 15 minutes. He's very social and loves people and loves being snuggled but he also has very bad reflux and too much movement will result in clothes drenched in "recycled" formula on both Kyle and whomever is holding him - kind of like a really disgustingly wet and messy game of "hot potato". So be considerate of Kyle's tummy and of any visitor who might end up holding him at the end of the line.

I will also expect that anyone feeling sick will not visit until they are feeling better for at least a full day. Children and adults alike with runny noses, fevers or coughing (even a small amount) will be asked not to visit for at least 24 hours after these symptoms subside. These are pretty much common sense rules but I want to be clear. Please remember that Kyle had a very rocky start and is not completely out of danger.

Also, for those of you who smoke.... As always, I ask that there be no smoking in our home. This is not a change. But I would also ask that any smokers wear a smock of some sort over their clothes (I will find something to serve this purpose) since a large amount of cigarette smoke can be carried in on clothing and since his lungs are especially sensitive.