Day 36 of life George was off CPAP and his feeding tube was removed, and antibiotics were still being administered. We were moved rooms yet again because of a broken sink, which was nerve racking because we had been moving closer to the NICU Exit. Our new room was further away, which of course, I took as a “sign”.

The doctors told us that we would wait until George was done with antibiotics and then perform the fast again. Keep in mind that we had been in this unit for 36 days already and our jobs were on the backburner. Rich and I hadn’t opened our laptops throughout all this time, which is shocking because for anyone who knows us, we live on our laptops. We were more than fortunate to have the amazing bosses that we do. We were given the time and space we needed throughout this time, but at some point we had to get back to reality. On day of life 40, Rich had to go into the office. This was the first time Rich had crossed the bridge to the other side of the river and only the second time he had left the hospital for more than an hour. (We both left the hospital the day before to buy the doctors and nurses gifts).

As I previously mentioned, George had to fast yet again and day 40 of life was the day. My mom and close friend came to stay with me during the fast. I don’t remember sitting down for the duration of the fast. I kept praying that my George could finally sleep in his bed and see his home we had been so anxiously prepping.

George couldn’t have made us happier this day, as he passed his fast after 7 hours. I can’t explain this feeling, but it was really close to what I felt when I first heard his cry. I was giving Rich the live stream throughout the fast and I know for a fact he wasn’t able to get any work done that day.

For those of you that have been hospitalized, going home is a LONG process, so even though we were ready to go home, it wasn’t until day 41 of life that we were discharged. Discharged with a large pile of paperwork, but DISCHARGED. This day was so bittersweet. Rich had to leave for Seattle this same day. He was able to kiss George before he left; knowing the next time they’d see each other would be at home.

After the nurse gave us the entire car seat rundown, we were ready to be on our way. I was so nervous to finally be taking George home, but my mom kept me so calm and was a massive help. It was mid-January and the ground was covered in snow, so I was absolutely terrified of driving. Lucky for me, I have a forgetful husband. Rich had accidentally taken the keys to our car in his backpack. Our keys were on the way to Seattle, so our only option was to Uber. George’s magical trip home was far from perfect, but we were finally home on January 17, 2018. Rich joined us 3 days later.