We have been HOME for just over 1.5 months! No, I can’t even believe it. Benjamin is thriving. At his checkup last month, he was 23 pounds. And he’s wearing 18 month clothes – at 9.5 months. One of my favorite nurses told me repeatedly “He’s going to be 6’5!” And I think he have taken that as a challenge…

Even though I lived it, it I still can’t quite believe the healthy, still fluffy baby we have home with us is the same one that was so sick in the hospital. God truly saved his life, multiple times. And it’s no small miracle that he has been sustained this far. 

Some highlights since we’ve been home include: 

1. Finally going back to church as a family!

2. Going out on Lee and Becky’s new boat 

3. And the #chunkymuffin continuing to protest exercise. But hey, I respect that. He started physical therapy in earnest about 2 weeks ago, and is already making begrudging progress with head control, core strength, basically all the things he missed out on while fighting for his life. And he tends to YELL during PT. Not cry, just yell and let his therapist know he does NOT approve. 

But his favorite activity is still snuggling. He has a sleep sack, and loves it. But a few weeks ago, he spit up all over it right before bedtime. So I had to think fast and we used a pillowcase as a stand-in while the sleep sack was washed/dried. (Nobody panic, I snuck him into the sleep sack once it was clean.) Why is my baby so smug.

We are so incredibly thankful to be home, and to be able to finally breathe a bit easier. Benjamin’s next round of checkups at Shands is on July 6. Please pray that God would continue to sustain him and keep his new heart happy and healthy. Please also pray for Marjorie as we adjust to being home. She LOVES her “Benjem” but gets so nervous that his heart will get sick again. We told her that her job is to love him and play with him, and it’s Mommy and Daddy’s job to be concerned about his heart. That seemed to placate things a bit, but I’m sure the anxiety she is able to verbalize is only the tip of the iceberg. Or maybe I’m projecting. 😉