We're at the finish line. Literally. Just in time too. Yesterday we spent the night at the hospital, our trial run. Aside from the room we stayed in (yucky), things were perfect! It was so nice to just hold him for as long as we wanted, in our jammies, with no nurses/doctors/other parents/ringing phones, etc. Miller is on a pretty solid schedule, however it leaves little room for rest. We know this already--we're just about back to square one, similar to coming home with a newborn.



For the time being, Miller will be on a tiny bit of oxygen at home. Fine. He just barely needs it, if at all, and will likely be off of it in a few weeks. The theory is that it helps him to recover quicker from reflux-related desats, and also prevents him from dipping too low if/when he has reflux-related heart rate drops. It is a tiny boost while we wait for his reflux medicine to really kick in. The folks in the NICU decided to send us home with an apnea monitor too, which is a bit of a catch-22. It will definitely give us a little peace of mind, but since we have trained ourselves not to pay attention to the monitors (and to look at Miller instead), it may become a crutch.



We are completely ready for him to come home. Today we have been napping and doing laundry, last minute prep for Miller's arrival. We will miss the NICU in some ways (really), but we can't wait to leave the stress of it behind. We have definitely formed bonds with some of the nurses (naturally) and have threatened stalking if they don't keep in touch! For 10 weeks and 5 days we have spent countless hours in the NICU, learning, laughing, crying. Celebrating milestones, fearing the unknown, praying for Miller's health. We have spent this time, vulnerable and helpless, slowly transforming into educated and empowered, with these folks. Because of these folks. We are so grateful for everything they (NICU staff) have done for Miller and for us, and could never really articulate it. There are definitely angels among us.


Wish us luck tomorrow! And, thank you all for each and every prayer.


Much love,


Danny, Stephanie & Miller Lee

Let's start with the big news....Miller is BIG! He weighs 5 lbs. 13 oz. He's turning into such a little oinker! 4 more ounces and he will be TRIPLE his birth weight. Maybe he will grow up to be a competitive eater. Like the guy who travels around entering hot wing eating contests. Or hot dogs.

In the NICU you just have to accept that Plan B (or C or D) is possible, even probable. We are on to Plan B. Miller is still doing very well, but we're giving him just a few extra days for observation, etc. We swapped tonight's sleepover for Friday and we'll be bringing him home on Sunday!

Yesterday, Miller had two big tests and he passed both with flying colors!
The first, a Barium Swallow, was the scary one. It's a test where he swallows tiny amounts of Barium in his milk so it will show up on x-ray. When his reflux kicks in, they can observe what happens. In Miller's case, we needed to know if his reflux is causing him to aspirate into his lungs and to observe his suck-swallow-breathe coordination. Aspirating is very dangerous for little ones and can lead to pneumonia...and a trip back to the NICU. The good news is, he's not aspirating and we are one step closer to going home.

Test #2 was much easier-it was his car seat study. They stick him in his car seat for about an hour and a half and just observe. No touching! We're not sure why some car seats don't pass the NICU test, but at this point we're just glad ours did.
We'll spend the next few days last-minute-prepping for his arrival. Friday can't get here fast enough. Misa + Moli are going to camp for a few weeks at a Doggie Ranch in Driftwood while we begin adjusting to life with a newborn.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July. Watch some fireworks, sing some Lee Greenwood, shed some happy tears... Also, we want to give a shout out to Miss Maria--Happy 30th birthday!!!

Much love to you all,
Danny & Stephanie

p.s. No, the blog does not end when Miller comes home. We just shift our focus to chapter 2!