Was it a morning like this?

A perfect start to a wonderful day. As I drove to school Friday morning, God gave me his first blessing for the day: a spectacular sunrise. The words to the song "A Morning Like This" played through my head as I stopped to take a pictuer. I smiled to myself, wondering if the joy I was feeling knowing as soon as school was out I was headed to the hospital to spend the night there with our son, was anything like the joy Mary felt when she found an empty tomb. Was it a morning like this? An empty field, enveloped in fog, with the promise of a new day raditating across the sky in brilliant colors? I imagine it was.

It was hard to concentrate all day. Andy and I were both so excited...first, we were off to spend the nigth at our son's "place"...then we'd take him home to ours.

Here's what the last 24 hours in the hospital looked like:
















Christopher waves goodbye to all his nurses and Dr. Jundy.















Kathy, Diane and Rita. Three of Christopher's wonderful nurses, all say their goodbyes.















Daddy, Mommy and Christopher happily sitting on a couch together for the first time. We ended up spending the night in the same room we stayed in the first few days after Christopher was born. That was kind of weird, but also redeeming in some ways...almost the way "it should have been" the first time around.















Mommy feeding Chrsitopher - one of many times throughout the night/early morning when Christopher decided he was hungry. We think he must have realized he was out of the NICU and didn't have to stay on their nice three-hour schedule anymore...he could wake up and eat anytime he wanted.
















By morning, everybody was tired...even Christopher decided to sleep. This was his first nap with Daddy on a couch.

Everything went very well...we "passed." As we said goodbye to all the doctors and nurses Saturday morning, we laughed about how it was bitter-sweet...how all of this was just "life" now...it's what we do...get up, go to work/school, go the hospital, feed Christopher, go home, sleep...and start again. We were so blessed to have such wonderful staff caring for our son. God was truly looking out for us and using wonderful people to meet Christopher's every need. Thank you to the Saint Joseph East NICU staff - you all are amazing!

~Rachel