CJ's Graduation from the NICU on Tuesday, October 4th!

 Chad and I made CJ his graduation cap and onsie and they played the graduation song as he made his farewell walk out of the NICU last Tuesday!

Going home in the car with CJ for the first time!!

Sharlotte, one of CJ's favorite nurses during his stay.  She taught us so much and made the experience so much more bearable. We love her!!

CJ graduated from the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) last Tuesday, October 4th and was sent home with his Mommy and Daddy finally!  It was a really difficult day, because he had the worst episode that I have witnessed in the 2 1/2 months that he has been in the NICU.  Chad an I roomed in with him at the hospital the night before he was going to be sent home.  He was being sent home on oxygen and a monitor, so we had to practice with them before coming home. CJ slept perfectly, only waking up twice for his routine feedings, but the monitor woke us up at least 20 times.  We were dreading bringing that home.  Fortunately, it hasn't been nearly as bad since coming home.  So, the day that CJ was scheduled to come home, he was lying on our double bed at the hospital doing his physical therapy test and he choked on some saliva reflux. The choke episode was so bad that he completely stopped breathing, turned white and blue around the lips.  He looked like he had left his body.  The physical therapist ran to get a nurse and the nurse that we had major issues with, rushed in and stuck the wall suction so far up CJ's nose that it sucked out a bunch of blood.  It was awful!  He began crying and the nurse said that was going to keep him in the hospital another week at least.  After speaking with the doctor, she said that the Apnea (loss of breath) and Bradecardia (loss of heart rate) were due to choking, so she was still okay with sending CJ home.  This really scared us.  He has had 3 small episodes since but it has been a week at home and over all, he is doing very well.  Graduation was a huge accomplishment for our little boy.  Chad and I made him a graduation onesie and a graduation hat, which was all the rave as he took his graduation walk out of the NICU.  They played the graduation music for him as he said goodbye to all of the nurses and doctors that helped him in his 2 and 1/2 month stay.  We love having him home!!