Home.

I am still kind of surprised that they let us go home today, but I am glad!  So nice to have all 3 kiddos fast asleep under the same roof!  I'm ready to get to work catching up on multiple days of housework, bill paying, & life.  And maybe sleep too?

At 4am this morning, I was pretty sure we were in for a 4th night as Livi, deep asleep, Livi ended back up on just a tiny bit of oxygen.  1/2 L.  She was only on it for 2 hours.  And with her vitals at 8am she was satting 96% on room air.  Her lungs sound much better.  Her retractions are intermittent & minimal.  And her respiratory rate had been within normal range for more than 24 hours.  My body actually gave out & slept last night from around 1-8, on & off, on the awful couch/bed.  It was the first time Livi had slept in the crib for longer than 45 mins-1 hour the whole stay.  We had both slept in the most awful recliner I have ever known to exist the remainder of our sleeping hours.  Seriously awful recliner!  So that stretch of sleep was the first stretch of time that I wasn't completely involved in her cares, and the first time I had to actually ask how she had been & what they had done, etc.  Felt really strange not to just 'know.'  But it sounds like at 4am when she went back on the O2, her oxygen sats were hanging around 88-89 (she is supposed to stay above 90), but Dr. Harrison said in a deep sleep, he is not concerned about sats of 89 when clinically she appears so much better.  Better to get us home & back to a more normal healing environment. 

After breakfast, rounds & an assessment, Livi & I crashed on the recliner & napped from 9-12!  (after getting up at 8!)  Then after lunch, we did our education with the nurses & respiratory therapist, and headed home.  She is on oral steroids 2x a day for another 4 days.  Inhaled steroids 2x a day for at least the duration of the winter.  And we have albuterol to treat her as needed for wheezing or other signs of returned respiratory distress.  We will see Dr. Harrison to follow up next week.  And the pulmonologist mid-January, or earlier if she doesn't stay healthy between now & then.  They didn't "diagnose" her as having asthma, but we have an "asthma action plan" sheet we are supposed to share with her daycare & we now own 3 inhaler spacers!

Livi's room & the recliner where we slept for days...

 Coloring books.  And a magna-doodle were my saving grace!

Look how full that little belly is above!  I was pushing fluids to avoid an IV, but all she wanted to drink was milk.  Too much milk =  a constipated Livi.  She got a suppository that evening which freed up so much more room for her lungs to expand when that belly shrunk back down!  I'll take a suppository over an IV any day!

I didn't have my camera until the last night we were there.  So I really don't have pictures of our stay.  Just one from my cell phone from those first few hours.  Makes my heart hurt just to look at it.

She was such a sweet girl there.  Almost never cried.  Always wanted to hold my hand during assessments & treatments.  Something I think of a big kid doing!  She talk up a storm to me, but be silent as could be when anyone else was in the room.  She would wait until the doctor, nurse, etc. walked out the door then whisper "bye-bye".  She learned a bunch of new words & shapes while we were there.  She liked wearing her hospital gown, AKA "pish shirt" {there are fish on the gowns!}  She left the oxgyen on always!  She never ceases to amaze me. 

Livi & I had a few hours to get settled in at home before the boys came home from Lincoln.  They were at GGs, Jeff was in class.  We were curious how their reunion would go?  The boys both woke up "on the wrong side of the carseat" however, so it wasn't all as cheerful as we hoped.  Logan & Livi were pretty sweet once he woke up & calmed down.  Hayden was just in a bad mood alltogether this evening though.  I think this week has been really hard on the boys too.  They only saw me for about 1.5 hours in 72 hours.  Thats a big change.  Went to daycare without Livi.  Lots of babysitters coming & going.  Sleeping without Livi, waking without her.  We all just need a few days to hang at home & recover physically & mentally.  The boys have coughs too.  And Livi definately still does.  So I think they all have something viral, it just hit her really, really hard.  Hopefully they are all 100% soon. 

Logan was glad to see us once he woke up!

 Livi wanted to hug him.

 Then she chased him around saying "Go-gun kiss" (didn't know she could say kiss... she always just says "mwah")

 Her & her best furry friend missed eachother too!

We are so thankful for all your thoughts & prayers.  And for the babysitting, carepackages, gifts, meals, etc.  I can never say enough how truly blessed we are.  Blessed with amazing friends & family.