The Norman Nest

Sweet Family and Friends, We've been home from the hospital for 18 days and two months from now we hope to have the first stage of Nathan's Finger/Toe release surgery completed.  The thing about time is that it just keeps ticking...  7 months and 5 days ago we went to the hospital expecting to deliver our son and join our 16.5 month old daughter at home the next day.  After all, I'm not a first-time mom, I didn't need TWO nights in the hospital - I wanted to be home... with Madison.  And Nathan.  And now, 82 Days and Nights of hospital life later, I am rejoicing to be home.  Rejoicing and trying to be thankful for and deeply engage the moments.  The little. boring. moments.  Oh, how I have learned to appreciate boring.  Moments where nothing is happening and yet I find tears stinging my eyes because it's just so precious.  Moments like these...  Mother's Day 2014 Sibling bonding This was totally candid!  How adorable! Playing wi

We are super, super thankful to be home!  Nathan is doing well and has been giving up lots of smiles.  Madison is beyond thrilled to have Nay-Nay back and usually express that through getting so happy to see him she doesn't know what to do other than to hop, hop, hop her excited little body :) Thanks for your continued prayers for us as we adjust to Nathan's new feeding needs (g-tube) and get back into the full swing of "home life."  Nathan will keep having his roatating physical and ocupational therapies on a weekly basis and we will also begin adding speech therapy to that in the next few weeks to hopefully begin the process of helping him become an oral eater again.   The biggest thing for the next few months is for Nathan to STAY HEALTHY.  The concensus among the Dr's is that we need to do everything possible to keep him "perfect" from a respiratory standpoint between now and his surgery in July.  Here's to hoping... Your prayers and support and

Look, Ma!  Free cheeks for kissing!  Looks like our Little Fighter just needed to decide that he wanted to start getting better...  Lots of progress since our last post. Nathan is now breathing on his own except for a little oxygen support at night, which he was already receiving at home!  He is also being fed through his G-tube and as of today is getting the full amount that he needs!  Here's to hoping he continues to tolerate it.  Everything we can see from his test and how he is responding so far indicates that the surgery was really successful!  All this progress means that Nathan was moved out of the PICU last night and onto a regular floor.  His is also a much happier boy now that for the first time in three months he has food in his belly and no tube up his nose and down his throat!  Having a special FroYo treat :) Several folks took shifts at the hospital this weekend so that Madison could get some time with Mommy and Daddy together.  Little girl keeps sayin