Lizzy is home!

This afternoon the nightmare ended and our sweet baby is home again. I feel lucky Lizzy was only there for six days. I can't imagine how hard it is on parents whose kids are in the hospital for weeks.
This picture is when I held her for the first time since the surgery. It was so hard that first day to see her cry and not be able to pick her up. I was so happy when they let me hold her the next day but it still felt wierd because she was hooked up to so many monitors.


By day two and three she slowly got tubes and things removed and seemed more like our Lizzy again. It was hard to get her to eat and she was throwing what little she ate on the second day. She absolutely refused a bottle and we were desperate to get her to eat so I stayed night and day to try to get her to breastfeed. After many nights sleeping with my clothes on and alarms beeping every five seconds I am very excited to be able to be in my own bed tonight. Lizzy is eating well now and she is her old happy self. She has a lot of bruises, needle pokes, and skin rashes from all the tape but she doesn't act like it bothers her too much. Tylenol is all she needs for pain and we have to be extra careful when holding her. The latest echocardiogram showed that the hole is fixed and working great. The bad news is that her tricuspid valve is slightly damaged (The surgeon works through that valve to repair the hole). It happens about 40% of the time after this surgery and usually doesn't cause a problem. It is something that will require a close eye throughout her life but hopefully won't be a big deal. A big thanks to Marilyn who kept our apartment spic and span while taking care of Tyler. I missed Tyler so much this week but it was comforting to know that he was in good hands. Thanks again for all the phone calls, prayers, and support. I love you all.