Happy Father's Day!

It’s Jason’s first Father’s Day, and I’d like to take a moment to thank him for a few little things that make a big difference to me:

1. When Sam screeches every time I attempt to transfer him from my arms to the crib (usually around midnight), Jason somehow magically gets him to go to sleep while I get to pass out in our bed. This is why Jason has nicknamed himself "The Sam Whisperer."

2. Jason is the one who gets up for Sam’s 6 am meds and bottle each morning so that I can sleep in a little. And he almost never complains about it.

3. Jason stays up each night to pull and label Sam’s meds for the next day. This is a precise and time-consuming process, and it saves me a lot of time and stress the next day. Jason is also the ones who cleans all the syringes, and we go through at least 15 a day.

4. No matter how tired and grumpy he is, Jason is always all-smiles when it comes to Sam. When Jason picks up a sleepy and somewhat grouchy Sam, both of their faces light up when Sam realizes he's being held by his daddy.

5. Even when I’m exhausted and half asleep, Jason makes me stand up to hug him. He always sees that we make time for each other, reminding me that no matter how much energy we spend on Sam, our marriage comes first.

Happy Father’s Day, babe! Sam is one lucky little guy.

We're HOME!

A quick post from Kristin:

First, Jason and I apologize for the long, long, long delay in updating the blog. As always, we thank you for keeping us in your thoughts.

Things have been a little crazy since we left the hospital For the first two days that we were home, we had no less than ELEVEN different medication times per day for our little Sam the man, including midnight, 3 am, 4:30 am, and 6 am. In fact, as I sit here typing this blog, the midnight alarm on my phone is reminding me that it's time for Sam's sildenaphil. I'll return in one moment...

Luckily, we have now consolidated his medicine times to 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 6 pm, 9 pm, and midnight. And the best news is....we no longer have to give Sam his IV antibiotics! Having to access your son's central line three times a day is stressful, and I'm glad that part is (hopefully) over.

Sam seems to be enjoying the good life at home. Except for a little crankiness due to nasal cannula congestion, he's a pretty happy camper. He made it through his second pediatrician's appointment today without crying, and he enjoyed an outing to our friend's house. Since he didn't really nap much today, just now I was able to give him his meds, carry him upstairs, change his diaper, and reswaddle him without waking him up. He's a cute little guy.

My favorite thing to do now that Sam's home? I like to pick him up in the morning, blanket and all, and cuddle him in the rocking chair before he wakes up. That way, when he opens his eyes, it's not because he's being weighed or poked with needle or having a thermometer stuck in his armpit (all necessary and important things to do in the hopsital, but not the most pleasant way to wake up). Instead, he's in my arms, and as soon as he blinks himself awake, he looks up at me with bright eyes and one of his big, toothless smiles. It's my favorite moment of the day.

Anyways, my brain is sleepy and incapable of deep, meaningful thoughts right now, but I can say that it all boils down this: I don't care if I have to get up every fifteen minutes to adminster some kind of medication to Sam. It's worth all of it and more to have him home.