Benjamin day 11 - We're Home!!!

After 11 long days at Riley, we are so thankful to be home! We can finally close this chapter and being a new happier and healthier one. I still can't believe that we were there as long as we were and all of the things that happened. I remember feeling a similar sigh of relief when we finally brought him home from the NICU after he was there for 19 days. The only difference was he was a newborn then and I wasn't getting too much sleep. I hope that will not be the case now and we can settle back into our routines.

Benjamin was discharged this afternoon and is doing well. He slept the whole way home (over an hour drive) and continues to sleep now, a couple hours later. He is doing well with the weaning schedule of the meds he is on from the withdrawl. We have a follow up appointment next month with the doctor who he saw last at Riley, a follow up with his pediatrician nex week and we also are most likely going to repeat the EEG once more once he is off of the medications since he continued to show slow brain wave activity. That is most likely due to the meds he is on. He is acting more and more like himself today and we are so thankful!

He had a visit from Caitlin, the music therapy intern from Iowa, again today. It was fun to see him interact with her more in the session. The last time he saw her, he was still on the PICU and not able to do a whole lot. I forgot to take pictures while she was there but she did have a guitar that she left in the room that I used with him so I have a few pictures of him exploring that.
He ate like a champ in the hospital once he could have solids again.
getting his "bath" after his EEG yesterday with nurse Hope.
He was SO happy to be off of the monitors and be able to have some floor time.



We are going to really take it easy with him for awhile, esp. as we head into flu season. He is more susceptible to getting pretty sick like this from a common cold since he has had bad pneumonia twice now, so I hope you will all understand if we are more hypersensitive to germs and sick kids then usual. He was on a week of antibiotics, which not only kills bad bacteria but also good bacteria that he needs to fend off germs, so we will be on the down low for at least a little while.

On the drive back home today, I noticed many of the trees were turning to bright fall colors since I last saw them. I love this time of year and look forward to enjoying it at home with my family!

Thank you again SO much for reading, supporting and praying. We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful support system of family and friends. We really appreciate all of you very much!!!

Stay healthy and many blessings to you and your family :)

Rebecca