Bringing Hazel Home

So I really started this blog to record all the stories about my girls and especially this last experience we had with little Hazel.  I just wanted to get it all written down and archived before I forgot the little details.  This is the end of the story of Hazel's birth that I started long ago.  Feel free to skip it as most of you know the story, I just needed to write it for myself.


After those 2 weeks she spent immobilized on her tummy the day FINALLY came when we got to hold her!  I thought I would be an emotional mess but I was nothing but thrilled and full of JOY!  It was so wonderful to finally have that little bundle in my arms.  In spite of all the drama and trials and hardships she was just a sweet spirit there to comfort me!  How is that possible?  I don't know but that was the case!

Lowell is a big guy and you can see how little she is and how fragile she still looks.  She was moved out of the NICU to the regular pediatric surgical ward on the 16th day.  She was still having trouble with her O2 levels so she had to be on observation for a few more days.  That was a time when I was so glad to have my mom with me.  Lowell went home to be with the girls after my dad left and it was just me, mom and Hazel at the hospital.  Mom was a great strength to me at that time just being there.  I never knew it was true but the "I need my mommy" urge in times of crisis never really goes away.  Thanks mom! 

To be fair my dad was also amazing while we were gone.  He took over  the 3 older girls and kept the house running.  I think he was tired by the end of his 2 weeks but I think they all had fun too.  They came up to visit a few times and got to see Hazel, the NICU holds a sibling class where they talk about all the machines that the babies are hooked up to and stuff like that.  So Piper and Julia went to that and it helped them feel a little less worried about everything.

So after a few days in the infant unit they said we could go home!  I have never been so happy! I packed in about 3 minutes and was chomping at the bit for them to discharge us.  The theme of most hospitals thought is "hurry up and wait" so it still took several hours to get out of there with all of our stuff, our whole crew and the O2 tank.  Anyway-getting home was just the best gift ever.   It was a great lesson in opposition for me, being away from home made going home and having all my kids in one room felt so wonderful.