The Final Countdown to.....Home?!

Greetings friends!

I started writing this on Sunday from the confines of my bed, where I was recuperating from a rather hefty cold (ears, throat, head), but didn't get around to finishing it until recently. After 3 days of not seeing Ava Gray, I was finally able to go back yesterday for a half day - it was so wonderful to see her again! During that period where I'd banned myself from the hospital she had;

• Taken her first ride outside of room 4555 that didn't end up in the OR or radiology dept. (She was all dolled up and taken around to visit folks on her floor.) I haven't heard exactly how it went yet, but am so thankful she got to get out and mingle! The team says they're getting her ready to go home. : ) That sounds just fabulous to me.
• Had her Nissen & G-Tube surgery scheduled for Friday (& has had quite a few more substantial spitting-up episodes to prove that this really is a good idea!)
• Pulled out her feeding tube...again (good to know she's still got it in her!)
• Taken great naps & had some really great alert times interacting with her nurses and her "Princess" mirror. (She loves that thing!) 

And during that same period I was:

• Loved on by friends & family who brought meals (chicken soup!), washed dishes, took milk to the hospital in the middle of the night, did laundry (countless loads!), and helped with Havyn. Such a sweet outpouring of grace!
• Getting some amazing rest. (Most of the time spent IN my bed - didn't realize how much this helps!)
• Thinking about Ava Gray's homecoming and what we will need to make this a comfy and stress-free transition for her (I know this is not in any way a for sure thing, but really - she could be home as early as next Friday. !!!!)
• Missing that little girl like crazy.

And Havyn spent her time at home:

• Taking some uninterrupted naps for the first time in...maybe forever. 
• Eating a ton (and starting to produce an encouraging amount of wet & dirty diapers - answer to prayer!)
• Smiling up a storm and practicing new cooing sounds. A-DOR-A-BLE!

It is just amazing to realize that both girls could be together at home in as little as a week and a half... It's hard to even wrap my head & heart around that. He has truly done great things in these past few months! I feel like we're in the home stretch now, though I know that just because we get to come home we will not stop needing Him desperately, nor will He stop being our amazingly faithful Provider & Protector!! 

Praising Him for how He has loved us,

Jules

(PS. Ava Gray's heart surgery looks like it is tentatively scheduled for early September - we'll keep you posted on that)