So here we are....

We are thrilled to share that Thomas has been home since last Wednesday. Our little guy is settled into his new routine here quite nicely....he's found that he has a whole host of people to cuddle with and is taking full advantage. We've been having a blast playing with all of Thomas's new toys and gear, and we're working our way through all of our big animal-wrap towels during bath-time. And in true new-baby fashion all of us at home are now nocturnal. :)

Thomas had his first checkup with his pediatrician last week and it went well. Once we can establish that Thomas is gaining weight nicely at home (our next appointment is next Friday), our main priority will be to wean him off his oxygen. In the coming weeks Thomas has follow-ups with his pulmonologist, eye doctor, cardiologist and neurologist and will begin programs run by both the state and by the hospital monitoring his development. But, instead of taking you step by step through all of that with us, we've decided that this entry will be the end of the TJC blog. It's time focus on Thomas as our child, and less as a medical marvel. We thank you all for your prayers, strength and love over the past months. And while we wish we could say we were inviting everyone over for a huge party, a main priority is to keep Thomas healthy and away from any unnecessary germs. Our little family is going to be on a bit of a lock down for the remainder of the year, stretching through next winter. But maybe we'll be able to have a celebration of the one year anniversary of Thomas's homecoming next August!!!

Below we've shared a final few pictures - from Thomas's first trip in his car seat, to settling into all sorts of comfy positions at home. We remain, as always, extraordinarily proud of our little man.

Thank you for taking some time out of your busy lives over the past few months to share time and thoughts with our new family.

- Michelle, Bart and Thomas.

and then there were two....

....days that is. The sheets are washed, onesies folded and put away, diapers and wipes are organized and ready to be used....because Thomas is coming home!!!!! We have a due home date of this Wednesday, August 8th. And as you can see from the pics below, Thomas is pretty happy about his upcoming change.

The little man is currently weighing in around 8 pounds, 1 oz, and is on 1/2 liter of O2. Thomas surprised all of us by being able to not only withstand being on 1/2 a liter, but flourishing on it. He had an amazing blood gas today http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arterial_blood_gas with a CO2 level of 42 - we had previously not seen him below 70. Without getting into all the details (we figure we're given you enough medical data by now), 42 is fantastic - especially for a BPD'er.

So TJCmom and dad are busy trying to catch up on 136 days of missed sleep....but we figure we won't really be caught up until Thomas goes to college. :)



We could not be more proud of our little guy. Please enjoy the pics and we'll keep you posted!






Thanks for sharing, we'll be back soon!
-TJCmom and dad

adjustments and tweaking...

As of this morning, Thomas is weighing in at 8 pounds!!!! He is still on his 2 1/2 liters of flow, but for only a fraction of the day. For the rest of the day, Thomas is on 1/2 liter, with minimal oxygen. We have not yet made the switch to full time on the 1/2 liter because we're waiting to make sure he is definitely strong enough to do so. And even when we do make the switch (which could be as early as this afternoon) Thomas will have to stay in the hospital for a good few days to be monitored. Which means....that this Tuesday will not be the day we come home. And it may mean that we do not come home until early next week. But, when you think about it, in this instance, coming home later is actually an excellent thing because it would mean Thomas coming home on less support. We'll see what the next few days bring, but for now, things are looking pretty excellent in our corner of the NICU.

That's pretty much all of our news for now. We've included some new pictures below - enjoy!

And we are, as always, extraordinarily proud of our little guy.

Thanks for sharing, we'll be back soon!

-TJCmom and dad