Today is discharge day for Peanut!!! We will be leaving the hospital around noon today. 🙂 The Dear Husband got Sissy & Potato Boy on the bus, just dropped off Lulu at daycare, and is on his way to pick us up as I type.

We had a great last few days here at the hospital. As I mentioned before, the DH & I have had a lot of training over the past week to make sure that we’re comfortable with all the home care medical equipment that Peanut will require. We’re still a little nervous, but we feel like we’re pretty prepared. Now that Peanut has a broviac (instead of a PICC line which she previously had), she is now able to be off of TPN (and free from the pump) for 10 hours a day (9am – 7pm)!!! We celebrated on Sunday by taking Peanut and Lulu for a stroll around the hospital.

On the move with Lulu & Peanut – and free of all tubes, wires, monitors!

Lulu checking on Peanut to make sure she was enjoying the ride!

Peanut will also have a home care nurse helping us out three days a week. Which will be a WONDERFUL resource while we adjust to her new equipment and settle into a routine at home.

As we look back and reflect on the past two months, we have to give so much credit (and thanks) to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. I have no doubt that Peanut received THE BEST care possible. Point blank – they saved her life. She has had the most amazing team of neonatologists, surgeons, nurses, and dietitians. We want to give special thanks to some of Peanut’s NICU nurses. Jessica & Amy cared for Peanut during the most critical time in her health, and helped see us through the most difficult two weeks of our lives. Mikael, Tammy, Misty, and Lori all spent a lot of time with Peanut, provided us with a great deal of emotional support, as well as taught us so much about caring for Peanut with her condition. Thank you ladies – we are forever grateful for your care and friendships! We also have a wonderful COC (Continuity of Care) Nurse, Ann, who coordinated ALL of our discharge planning including lining up home care equipment, nurses, scheduling our returning appts, and best of all – handling our insurance company. She is truly amazing! 🙂

Peanut will continue to follow-up with her fantastic gastrointestinal & surgical teams several times over the next few months until her surgery.

So, our next update will be from HOME! I predict that over the next few days we will be extremely sleep deprived 🙂 but man is it worth it!