And we are home!

We have actually been home all weekend!!! I am just now getting a chance to sit down and catch up on the blog. Friday morning Colin's x-ray showed a decrease in fluid, enough to let us go home!!!!! 25 days after Colin's Fontan, we got break out of the hospital. We got the news at 8:30am that we were going home and finally got our walking papers at 1:00pm. Colin was super excited and also bouncing off the walls wanting to leave. Each time a doctor came in to check him out, Colin would grab his shoes and say let's go, hard to explain to a 4 year why it takes a hospital almost 5 hours to let you go home. Colin was smiling ear to ear on the way to the car, and so was I! 

I did explain to him though we have a check up at the hospital on Tuesday, so we will be coming back in just a few days. When we go on Tuesday, he will have another chest x-ray to make sure the fluid is decreasing and not increasing and they will be looking to take the stitches out of his chest tube scars. Colin was sent home on 3 medications ( 2 diuretics which are temporary - he will just be on them just they get complete control of clearing out all the fluid in his chest, then he will weaned off of them) and then his normal daily dose of aspirin. Colin also came home on fluid restrictions to help dry him out more, he can only drink 28 ounces a day, so that is a challenge. At Tuesday's appointment, we will get a better idea when he will be allowed to drink more and when we can stop restricting his fluids.

After heart surgery, the breastbone is wired together and limits Colin's activities for 6 weeks. Tuesday will make 4 weeks since surgery, so we still have 2 more weeks of NO playgrounds, swings, trampolines, Wii (because of the arm movements), pushing or pulling, throwing, lifting up by the arms, and no public places. He was heartbroken coming home there is no Wii and no air hockey for right now. Colin will be able to swim once the breastbone restrictions have been lifted AND the chest tube scars heal over.

Of course Colin still has 5 weeks left of his mandatory no fat diet (we are counting down until Sept. 13 - when we are ordering pizza, cheeseburgers, cake, cookies.. we will all get fat that day). Yesterday Matt went to the store to load up on all fat free items for the house. Colin is now trained to ask before he eats something "is this fat free mom?". And Katherine is the fat free police, if she sees Colin eating something, she questions us to make sure we only gave him fat free food. It will be an interesting 5 weeks. My mom made him a black bean, rice, sweet potato, oatmeal cheeseburger and it was actually pretty good. Colin ate half the cheeseburger and some homemade fat free fries. It is doable, it just that some thought to really plan out meals and try to come up with kid friendly ideas.

Matt's parents helped us clear out of the hospital and my parents met us at the house with Katherine. Both the kids were thrilled to have everyone home again. The kids partied it up Friday night on Katherine's karaoke machine. Saturday we did a lot of chores around the house since no one has been living here for almost a month, lots of cleaning to do. Then we went to my brothers for dinner and have some wine, kick back, let the kids play, and just enjoy a "normal" Saturday night.

Welcome home hugs

We needed to add fun back into our lives

Break it down

 We are very blessed to have Colin home, to have our family back together in one house. I am ready for normal life to begin again. This was by far the hardest emotional month I have ever had. It drained all of us in a lot of ways, now it is time to rejoice in the gift of Colin's heart. Please pray that the fluid goes away without of having any more hospital time. Please pray this is Colin's last surgery ever needed! This weekend was amazing to have all of us together, in our home.. to be able to smile, laugh, play, cuddle, sing, dance, and be silly. These things made the 25 day struggle worth it. And soon it will all be faded memory. 

Thank you all who came to visit us in the hospital, for those who sent care packages, helped out watching Katherine. Thank you for all those who have been searching far and wide for fat free kid foods. Thank to my wonderful co-workers that sent us food and money to help pay for the ridiculous cost of parking. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives.