Free At Last!

It's official... we're HOME!!  It was a rough start to the morning with Blu waking up for the first time without having pain meds dripping into her body over night so every movement was less than enjoyable and she wasn't shy about vocalizing it.  The last, and quite possibly the most stressful, experience for Liv all week was removing the tape on her chest that was securing the tubes connected to her port.  Poor Carlie had to handle this scene alone as I had the luxury of staying at home for the first time last night so that I could get Jet to camp this morning.  It was touch and go there for a moment from what I understand.

The pain was soothed with the reality that we were actually leaving the hospital.  As we drove across town Liv commented, "Wow... it's so nice to be on the outside."  It was clear that she was taking everything in on a very deep level :)

When we walked in to our kitchen we were greeted with a huge sign that the kids from the neighborhood had made for Blu.  They all drew something unique on it and then there was a special on the back...

(This is my first attempt at adding a video so we'll see how it goes)

Blu Comes Home

(YouTube Link)

For me personally, coming home means I can let some of the walls down.  It seems as though I was able to effectively compartmentalize the experience due to the fact that our reality was contained within the hospital walls and now that we're home I can let my guard down in some sense.  This has lead to an immediate exhaustion.  Carlie and I didn't take a break when we got home as there was so much to do just to get our life back into some sort of working order.  The fact that we've been scheduled to be in Austin on Wednesday for well before all of this hasn't exactly helped with the stress levels either but we've been able to keep everything in perspective... "It will be what it will be."  Our mantra for the last 9 days.  There is only so much we can control and after that we can only control our reaction to the things that are out of our control.  It's a work in progress :)

We have Liv Blu set-up in our bed and Damma has already made the rounds to ensure everyone is taken care of to the fullest.  Food, beer, ice cream... she's a saint!  We've had several people stop by to love on us even more.  Our dear friend Fabiana made the effort to come by with her new born baby (who is as cute as can be!) and bring Liv a ridiculously awesome art set but also had the heart to get Jet something as well.  It was so thoughtful and timely as he's been watching Liv get showered with attention.  That said he's really handled everything brilliantly and Carlie and I both have made it a point to be empathetic to what he's going through and to fill his little gas tank as full as possible.

Another amazing friend, Arna, came by with a goody basket for Carlie and I that was filled with necessary items like wine.  When we got home we were also greeted with an amazing gift from our neighbors, Amy and her daughter Ruby.  We've started to receive cards from friends and family from all over the country and it's truly amazing.  We haven't even had a chance to open them all but the hand-made cards from cousin's Chloe and Maya were huge hits :)  I can't even look at the Go Fund Me page because I start tearing up immediately when I read the names of people who have felt moved to contribute.  People I haven't even seen or spoken to in YEARS and yet they still reach out and love on us.  It's astonishing and humbling at the same time.

Again, thank you to all of those who have sent texts and cards and gifts and offers to help.... you genuinely give us so much strength!  We feel so blessed to be loved the way we are.  Because I feel like I'm rambling at this point and because I'm on the verge of collapsing onto this keyboard I'll end by just posting a few of the pics from today.

It's so damn good to be home :)