This morning when we got to the hospital we were greeted with great news. His bilirubin levels had dropped to just over 8 (the magic number was less than 10) and he had been eating really well. The doctor checked him out and said he was ready to come home! We made a quick stop at Target to buy some bottles of Purell, and came back to the hospital with his carseat. We had to wait for them to do the circumcision, and then we signed some papers, and the great nurses gave us lots of tips for the first few days. After that we were ready to go.

When we got home both grandmothers came over to see him, but for the first two hours he slept! The dog isn’t quite sure what to make of him, but every cry and squeal piques her interest.

Family came over and took their turns holding him. We picked up pizza and enjoyed our first evening with him.

We’re thrilled to have him home, and we’re ready for our first night of sleeplessness. He slept in his basinet for about an hour, but as I type this he decided he was hungry, so Stacie has him in bed to feed him.

After his entire ordeal and everything he’s been through in just his first week in the world, know what’s funny? Today was his due date. He knew that even though he came early, today was the day to come home, and we couldn’t be more thankful for the great doctors and nurses that have been with him and helped him get better. Welcome home Luke.

This morning we went to visit Luke and he is doing really well. His bilirubin levels are down to 11.3, which is much better than the 14.7 he was at the day before. Once he gets to 10 they’ll let him go if they’re fairly confident it won’t rebound. They think he might be able to come home tomorrow if he can keep it up! Tomorrow is his due date, so I think it would be great if he came home on the day he was supposed to be born.

This picture is from this morning, and you can really see how yellow he was before he started phototherapy. He’s got a yellow sunglasses outline.

We learned a little more today about what happened exactly with the emergency delivery. Stacie had a placental abruption which is where the placenta comes detached from the uterus wall. Apparently it only happens in 1% of deliveries, but there is a fetal mortality rate of 20-40%. It’s pretty scary to think that if we’d been any later he might not have survived. But we are blessed to have a healthy baby and can’t wait to bring him home.

Luke is still at the hospital fighting off his juandice, and in the meantime I’m getting as many things ready as possible. I got a second base for our travel system so we can take the baby in either car. Today I put those in both cars and secured them super well. Now when he’s ready to come home we’ll be able to transport him safely. These things are big! It fits in the new Jetta just fine, but in Stacie’s car I had to make the driver’s seat back more upright.

Yesterday our furniture came, so now we can get all his clothes/diapers/baby stuff all organized and put away. We bought it from USA Baby in Torrance, and the brand of furniture is by Baby’s Dream. Growing up Stacie used the SAME furniture her whole life. Her parents bought it when she was a baby, and she used it until she moved out. We used a similar philosophy and bought something nice that should last for years and years. We also got a nightstand that matches, and the crib can turn into a toddler bed and then into a full size bed.

I took some breastmilk for Luke this morning, and we’re going over at 5 pm to feed him. His bilirubin levels are still high, but they expect that to improve over the next couple days. Have I mentioned yet how cute he is?

Another day has gone by, and while less eventful than the last few, things are still progressing. Stacie got her first night of good sleep and a shower complete with hair washing. I managed to keep her from rushing off this morning to see the baby, but she was there by this afternoon. Today they were concerned that he still wasn’t eating enough, but they removed the IV this evening, so that’s a good sign. So now he’s off the oxygen, off the IV, and off the antibiotics, but he’s still fighting the jaundice. They’ve moved him up to “triple photo therapy” to bring down his bilirubin levels which are still high. The good news is that the last test showed a decrease in bilirubin, so we’re hoping that trend continues.

Otherwise we’re busy shuttling breast milk to the hospital. Today the furniture came, so that was a good thing. Now when Luke comes home his room will be all ready for him. It will probably be a few more days until they’ll let him come home, but we want to make sure he’s healthy before he does. Thank you for all the prayers, and I’ll make sure to keep you updated.