Ava's Homecoming!

Today was one of the best days of my life, second only to the day Ava was born and I became a mother! We had such a hectic day once we arrived at the hospital but I was so ready for everything that came!

Ava was being discharged and we had to go right into a class to be trained on how the Smart Monitor II works and how to care for Ava while she is hooked up to the monitor. There was so much to learn but they gave us a manual and phone numbers to call should we have any problems. Before our hour long session was complete were were also trained in how to perform infant CPR.

When we returned to the NICU we had to hook Ava up to the monitor all by ourselves. It was only a few moment after learning how to do it but we were still second guessing ourselves on where to attach the leads on her chest. They had to be placed in precise locations or they would not accurately monitor her heart and her breathing and could cause false alarms.

A few minutes later the Doctor came in to brief us on every test that was run and everything that happened while Ava was in the NICU. Everything was written on a sheet of paper that I was to give to Ava's Pediatrician. We were given instructions on how to care for a preemie baby and told what to expect because parenting a preemie is so different from parenting a full-term newborn.

Ava also had her hospital picture taken and I think they came out pretty good. They are hospital pictures though and they never seem to capture the baby's personality. My dad wanted to drive Ava home from the hospital so he came over to the hospital on his lunch break to be Ava's chauffeur. He's treating her like a princess already!

I can't put into words how thankful I am to the staff of the RWJ-Hamilton NICU. They were so good with Ava and took such good care of her as they nursed her into good health. They were also so good at keeping me emotionally stable during my visits and also kept me very informed of what was going on. They were so amazing and Ava's angels!

Here are some pictures of Ava just before we left the wonderful staff in the NICU:

already asleep in her carseat

so precious

our first family picture!!

At Home

Once at home I was so excited to take Ava out of her carseat and officially into our home. I immediately put her into her bouncer which showed how tiny she really is! I covered her up and turned on the music and she ended up falling asleep.

In her bouncer

sleeping beauty

In daddy's arms