We did it!

Finley is home!!!!  After 88 days in the NICU we are home.  So many ups and downs since my last post... several times I had planned to update on the details of his progress from a medical stand point, but in the back of my mind I was thinking that we were close to going home and I didn't dare put that thought out into the universe!  We had learned that the moment you assume an actual discharge date, home becomes a far off dream.  We started calling home "the H word"!  Fin is a miracle... as I'm writing this post, I'm going back through some pictures and I am in awe of his strength and determination.  The day he was born, Fin was in bad shape.  His birth was so traumatic.... in the first minute of his life, he wasn't breathing, had no tone or color.  His omphalocele had ruptured leaving his liver and intestines completely exposed.  His first day of life, he endured major surgery to place his organs into a silo.  You can't see his organs in the silo, but they are in there!

In the days that followed, Fin's organs were slowly squeezed into his tiny abdomen.  He endured paralysis for several days and although he was on high levels of pain medication, I am sure he felt the pain of the daily assaults on his body.  Fin was paralyzed in this picture and the strings tied around the plastic are from each time his organs were pushed down into his abdomen.  When we started they were way at the top!

As I write this, I'm watching him sleep.  He's next to me in our bed, in our bedroom, in our HOME and all is right in our world!  We have a long road ahead of us and many challenges to face.... Fin still gets most his milk through his NG tube and his wound is still closing.  His wound vac is still in place, we'll probably have that off in the next few weeks.  We have an occupational therapist coming to the house 3 times a week to work with Fin on feeding by mouth.  We are confident that we will reach our goal!  I haven't written much about his belly wound in the past as it has remained consistent in it's progress, but I feel the need to post a picture here in order to emphasize how amazing our boy really is and to show how much he has been through.  This picture is from last week.... trust me when I say that it looks great!  It has consistently gotten smaller and flatter and the pink underneath the yellow mesh is fresh skin growth.

I am in awe of the healing power of the human body.  His surgeon performed a miracle getting his organs where they belong and Fin did his part too!  The wound vac has  helped so much too and the home vac is very portable and keeps us mobile.

To say we are happy he is home is such an understatement.  This experience has taught us many things.... the importance of being in the moment, being proactive while accepting what we can and cannot control and above all, patience and unconditional love.  Fin got to feel the sunshine for the first time on Saturday.

We will be enjoying many more days in the sun as Fin continues to heal and grow.  We are so very grateful to all of our friends and family for all the loving support.  We are forever grateful to all the doctors and caregivers at UCLA and especially to our primary nurses.... if any of you are reading this, we could not have gotten here without you and we love you so very much!!  

Even though he's three months old, in some ways it feels like day one!  I'll continue to update on Fin's progress at home.  Thanks for reading... we are certain that all of the positive energy we received from all of his fans helped him heal and ultimately come home!

Much love to all,

Finley, Daria & Rick

xoxoxo