Looking back.

This year has been trying for both Mum and Dad (and Max, although he will hopefully not remember any of it).  With that in mind, moments like these make everything worth it.

He knows us now; and, he seems to really like us.

Max trains his parents.

It's now been around 2 weeks since we brought Max home. It's been lovely.  It's also been quite a learning experience.  It's obvious to us now that new parents really have no clue what to expect. Suddenly, we don't have machines going boop and beep to tell us if anything's going on with him. We can't rely on the steady, watchful gaze of a nurse to look out for hiccups or problems arising with the little guy. We don't have the luxury of going out together for a quiet evening in a restaurant or a movie theater. Even grocery shopping has become a solo, expedited effort.  We still wouldn't trade it for the world. We're slowly learning his moods; they vary from sleepy-happy to sleepy-sad. They're not the same moods he had in the NICU or at HSC; he has definitely done a lot of developing since then. When he is awake, he tends to be curious about his surroundings and has been a pleasant companion to both Mum and Dad. Feeding him is a lengthy process, but it affords us some much missed bonding time with the little guy. Because of this, he's become a bit spoiled and fusses a bit here and there when we try to put him in his own chair or into his crib when he doesn't believe it to be nap time. Overall, however, the couple of  weeks at home have been spectacular and we look forwards to the many more weeks we get to spend with him as he grows and learns about this weird, wonderful world we've brought him into.

A week to reflect.

One week ago, we walked out of the hospital like we had done every single day for 185 days - but this time, Max came with us. It honestly felt a little like we were stealing him.

After 6 months, 26 weeks, 185 days, 3 seasons, 3 surgeries, 2 hospitals, 1924 diaper changes, 982 hand washings...after collapsed lungs, blood transfusions, jaundice, heart surgery, hernia surgery, G-tube placement surgery, lung problems, airway problems, eating problems, infections,...after ups, downs, and a whole lot of fighting...Max finally made it home.

It's all a little surreal so far.

We're all pretty busy around here, getting used to each other and a new schedule, so for now, enjoy a little visual update.

The transition.

The transition home has been an interesting one. Mum and Dad are enjoying the heck out of having such a beautiful little guy living with them. It's nice to have him in our environment and not have ourselves feel like visitors with our own son. It's lovely just having him there so that we can hold him and show him our love at all times.  He's become a bit of a cuddle-addict in the process; he just does not like being placed in his bed too often.  He's definitely getting better at showing his displeasure with certain things, and his little voice gets bigger and bigger every day. The routine with him is starting to coagulate, and his sleep schedule should make some sort of sense soon. For now though, we'll gladly take a bit of the chaos of having a new roommate over having to slog our way across town to visit the chubster at a hospital.

Home, sweet home.

Change of Venue.

Max came home today. This is the best day in a long time.
More after his parents are able to do something other than smile ear-to-ear while hanging out with their boy in their home.

Lots of smiles

Max was quite the ham today! He enjoyed making faces with Mum and Dad and had many good little giggles with his folks and Vóvó.  He didn't need any pain killers today, and other than a bit of crankiness due to his tummy having a bit more bubbles than he'd like, he was in a great mood.  The little guy is coming along swimmingly!