What to Expect When Your Expected is Expected to Come Home…ing

This week is extremely stressful for us.  We’re trying to schedule a ton of doctor’s appointments, figure out how Home Health Care is going to work, map out the fastest route to every hospital along the 7 hour + drive back to Tulsa with Rowan once he is released, learn how to give shots, meds, refill feeds, test the location of his NJ, varying methods of CPT, and that’s just for Rowan!  Matt took the car back to Tulsa and tried to rearrange furniture quickly before flying back up yesterday.

When we first got ready for Rowan, we set up for a temporary way of living with him because we didn’t think he’d be giant before he came home and thought we’d better understand his needs and could reorganize to meet those with plenty of time.  Turns out, we were wrong there! So Matt put together a “make do” set up and we’ll have to throw together a more permanent plan when we are actually home.

We also have to start packing up, buying up things we’ll need for the trip home (diapers, wipes, burp clothes, meds, etc.) and doing laundry/cleaning up at HavenHouse.

Discharge is a complicated mess for this kid! A mess we are thrilled to have, but that leads me to my point -

If you are ever in a similar situation, be prepared to feel extremely overwhelmed when you are getting ready to go home.

Expect to be stressed and tired.

Expect to freak out when anyone else freaks out.

Expect lots of little hiccups with scheduling.

Expect to give your insurance information to 12 different people.

Expect to lose phone numbers.

Expect to be paranoid that something is going to prevent your leaving.

AND

Expect to cry a lot because of how excited you are that your kiddo is actually going to get to be a part of your life.  The one you left behind two months ago to give them a chance.  The life that has your daughter waiting to meet her brother and hold him.

I cannot wait for my family to finally get to meet him.  My sisters weren’t allowed to meet him in Tulsa because of visitation restrictions.  There was a time I was afraid they wouldn’t get to meet him at all…but that is going to happen.  We are going home.