HOME...

As I write this, Bear is tucked snug in his bed and I am sitting so blissful that we are HOME! It has been a very LONG 16 days yet it seems we left for Houston only yesterday. We had our final visit to Texas Children's this morning and it was VERY eventful. Alfred and I told Bear that his "strings" would be untied and he would have a chest x-ray. That seemed to sit well with him until the nurse told him she was ready. Then the fear of the last two weeks and ALL that had taken place at the hospital set in. That sweet baby cried and begged to go home. We stifled a laugh as he said, "One...just one more minute. I NEED a minute!" The nurse removed the first chest tube suture and it hurt. The next three, unfortunately, had to be removed by force but after he kept saying, "It's ALL over...it's really ALL over." He has been such a trooper and as difficult as it is to process all of this he has done so beautifully. He has a perfectly functioning bovine valve and his body and brain are receiving more oxygenated blood than EVER in his life. He is a bit jittery getting used to all the good blood in his brain but he will become accustomed to it soon enough. 

So...now, we are at home and the next few weeks we will try to remind him to not flip off the furniture or run up the stairs. We will say so often to not wrestle with Brock or jump off his bed. This is very normal 5 year old behavior, however, not so good for a healing sternum! We continue to thank Jesus for Bear's special heart and the team at TCH in Houston that performed such an incredible job. One of the things we have been talking about with Bear is why SO many people have been praying for him and why this was such a special time in the life of our family. At times he has asked us why this was happening to him and why he would not be able to swim and run for awhile. This has and continues to be an incredible way for us to share God's unique formation of each of us to Barrett. 

Think about this...God made Barrett's heart. Then he made an animal that HE knew would have a perfectly compatible valve and gave man the knowledge and wisdom to perform HIS medical miracle! It is truly incredible to serve and worship a God that thinks that much of HIS creation!