Chloe's Big, Great Day! 9/30/09

Sept. 30, 2009 Today was really the big day! Yes, Chloe was switched over to the home ventilator with absolutely no problem whatsoever! Yep, this is the machine that will eventually take her home! and she batted nary an eye at the exchange! There had been quite a lot of build up to this day, as the initial date set for the attempt was Monday. This wasn't possible because Sierra got sick and it was postponed so Jennie could be there for the event. Sierra was better last night and I rearranged my schedule in order to watch Kadin today so that Jennie could attend. Well, wouldn't ya know, he ended up being sick in the middle of the night, making it impossible for Jennie to attend!! The possibility of her carrying in germs to Chloe was high, Kadin needed Mommy, I couldn't expose my mom to germs...we just couldn't make it happen. So, as Jen put it, "The day I've been waiting almost six months for comes, and I CAN'T be there!!!" She was so disappointed and so very, very anxious! Can you imagine how scary that was for her from a distance? All the anxiety was unnecessary, as Chloe has been preparing just as long, and she was READY! Mommy or no Mommy, the little Princess Warrior was ready to make her move! Since I had cleared my schedule anyway, I did get there and other than there being a room full of people changing the machines...there was not much excitement to speak of UNTIL we knew that Chloe was going to be just fine. What a tremendous feeling it was to know that she had just taken such a huge step to joining her family at home! Ernie, one of the Respiratory Therapists, stated that he felt she was actually doing a bit better than on the other machine! They will, of course, help Chloe out a bit and not work her too hard to begin with, but he felt that the new vent was allowing more air to get deeper into the lungs. This machine is so much smaller and compact, I just can't express how thrilling it is to know that it will fit into a CAR that can travel to a home to be put into a nursery never yet seen by little Chloe! On the other hand, so many of you have been praying, reading, encouraging and loving her for so long that you must also be celebrating this news just as we are! Tomorrow there is a big case conference to discuss the transitional plan...hopefully Jennie has found a babysitter and won't be attending by conference call! Chloe will be tested out on the new machine for a while, then Lance, she and Chloe will spend as much time as possible together on a different floor outside of the NICU, learning everything they hopefully might ever need to know about caring for her at home. It will be an intense time and I will be there as much as possible to also be taking in as much as I can. There is some normal nervousness about taking on the full responsibility, but there will be in-home nursing and the benefits FAR,FAR outweigh the concern. So, there ya go! Was this a great day, or what??? Now, we pray for continued success and for nothing to get in the way! Today, the nurse had the Warrior Princess dressed in socks from Mount Rushmore that read," Take a Hike!" Jennie felt they were perfect for the day, as Chloe was saying, "Take a hike big vent! I'm movin' on without ya!" And so we do!!!! Love and blessings to all!!! Nancy