Home At Last!

The rumor is true! I am HOME! I have never been so excited about getting home in my life. I rode down 290 noticing things I have never noticed before. I commented to Jimmy how I felt like I was seeing the world through new eyes and that the Cy-Falls water tower never looked better! He informed me it had just been painted. Oh. Or maybe it's that. Who cares...I am going home and I get to kiss and squeeze on my babies. I get to sleep next to my handsome (and wonderful) husband. I get to use both arms. Live with an IV for 5 days, you'll never be so happy to brush your teeth with the "correct" hand. Oooh, the reminds me...I can't wait to take a shower with both hands!! A shower in my shower!

So...while in the hospital I learned a few things...
1. Thank God for having 2 hands/arms that work! Again, the IV's are awful!
2. Don't assume that just because they went to school and have fancy letters after their name that the nurses (or doctors) you encounter know what they are doing. Always stay on top of them and ASK questions! And if it can be avoided, do not stay at the hospital by yourself - ALWAYS have someone who can keep tabs on what's going on!
3. THANK GOD for the great nurses you do have and be VERY NICE and FRIENDLY towards them!!
4. Hospital food is not very good. They can even screw up a grilled cheese!?
5. A good night sleep is hard to get when you are getting your stats taken every 2 hours!'


I also want to send out some love to so many people that helped my 5 day stay in the hospital be an easier one...

I want to thank God for taking care of me in there. Saturday evening was really scary and because of Him I was able to remain relativly calm.

My INCREDIBLE husband. Jimmy, thank you so much for all of the TLC the last 5 days. With the exception of rolling your eyes at me Friday night when I was needing to go to the ER, thank you for taking care of me. You were incredible. Thanks for staying every night at the hospital with me, for making the arrangements for the kids and for getting everything I needed from home. You are AMAZING and I know how truly lucky I am to have such a wonderful hubby!! Thank you.

I want to thank our wonderful family. I can't imagine having to go through all that without them. It's such a blessing to know that your kids are being taken care of by people that love them so much....my sister-in-law, mother, and mother-in-law...

Aylie - I can't thank you enough for keeping the kids Saturday afternoon and night. I know your hands are full already (she has a 6 yo and a 3 yo) and then to take on 2 more is a lot. Thanks for making their Easter special and making me feel so much better knowing JD was having blast with his cousins. Thank you for taking pictures of JD decorating eggs so that I could be a part of it all. Thank you for making their Easter extra special. You are a wonderful mother to your own kiddos and an outstanding aunt to ours. THANK YOU!!

Mom (and Shannon) - Thank you so much for taking the kiddos Sunday and Monday night. Thank you for taking off work for 2 days to take care of them. I know we couldn't have picked a busier week for you, but I am so grateful that you were able too. Thank you for bringing them to the hospital so that I could get my fix. I CAN NOT imagine having to go all 5 days without seeing them! Shannon, thanks for bringing food and coming to visit me. Thanks for helping out with MacKenzie and JD as well. I am beyond blessed to have such an amazing mother and sister and JD and MacKenzie are so lucky to have you both! Pa Tim, thanks for coming and kicking some nurse butt. Ok, I know you didn't actually "kick" any butts, but you did help get Saturday's situation under control. I love you!

Susan, thank you so very much for taking the kiddos last night and today. Again, we are so blessed to have such wonderful parents to leave them with. Thank you for my Easter basket - I can't wait to wear the outfit and I already enjoyed the body wash while there!! Thanks for also taking care of the kids Easter baskets. I was so worried about that and so glad that they woke up to adorable goodies Easter morning. I couldn't have picked out cuter swimsuits for the two of them!

To all of my wonderful friends that came and visited...

Kevin and Kourtnie, thank y'all so much for the wonderful visit! Thanks for the Easter candy and goodies. It's exactly what I needed while lying in bed for 5 days. Thanks. Oh, and thank you Kevin for letting us borrow your laptop. I literally have no idea what I would have done with myself (or Jimmy for that matter) without that machine. THANK YOU. There are very few of our friends that I would've let see me in that condition - you were one. Feel loved.

Laura, thank you for the wonderful surprise visit. When the door opened I assumed it was another nurse coming to take my vitals or bring me lunch. Never did I expect to see little LaLa. Thanks for the hilarious DVDs and I hope you aren't in trouble for taking them from your house! Thanks for the card and wonderful picture. I asked them if they wanted to use it for a brochure on Staph Infections but I'm not sure they share our taste in humor. Oh, and I'm not sure what I did before the 3 bottles of anti-bacterial lotions/gel but thank you. Cianaro Staph!! And now I can say I truly know the depths of our friendship - you don't just give your Bath & Body Works coupons to anyone!

Kathy, thanks for the wonderful little visit. It was so nice having someone to talk with for a bit. You are a wonderful person and your friends (including myself) are so lucky to have such a caring, thoughful person to be buds with.

Donna, a special thanks for taking such great care of the kids Friday and Saturday!!

To everyone who called, PRAYED, emailed, and texted...

Mrs. Kim, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I can't tell you how much all of your sweet, encouraging words and all of the praying you and the LPM girls did meant to me. It helped pass the time so much and it was so nice waking each morning and laying in bed each night only to receive another sweet text checking on me. We saw eachother on a daily basis for the first 7 or 8 years of my life and it's been so wonderful staying in better touch for the last several months. I can't wait to see you again on Sunday! I love you and your sweet daughter so much.

Nana, as always it's more than wonderful to talk to you and I was so glad to have an excuse (not that I need one) to call you once or twice a day.

Ashley, Nicole, Kate, Jessica P, Jessica J, Mel, Rachel, Marissa, Shanna, Amy, Tina, Kris, Monica (I got your VM), playgroup girls - THANKS for the sweet words and prayers!

And 2 more special thanks...

Jennifer, aka My Breastfeeding Guru - thanks for your infinite knowledge and research on breastfeeding. You are sooo wonderful and such a sweetheart to take time out to look stuff up and post on the LC message boards. It's so nice being able to talk to someone about all of these milk issues and even better that that "someone" has such a passion about breastfeeding. Again, you ROCK!

Amy - thanks for the sweet conversation and more breastfeeding knowledge. You are such a sweet soul!

I *NEED* to get in bed so before I sign off I want to say that I hope that everyone who's reading this has the same incredible, supportive, and wonderful family and group of friends that I have. They are beyond amazing and I am TRULY blessed to have each and everyone of them. I love them all so dearly....thank you.