Leaving Dallas

        We are back in Amarillo and I have needed to update this since Flint's surgery.  I haven't gotten around to it yet though, because things have alternated from "We're way too busy and have no time to update" to "We finally have a chance to breathe and relax and we don't want to spend that time doing anything other than enjoying our kids."  I feel compelled to write here though, because I feel like Flint has a story to tell and I'm the only one who can write it down.  So even though it's been a few days, here's how things ended in Dallas:
        Flint came through surgery SO well and recovered quickly.  His head size went down a centimeter the first night and continued to decrease for the first few days.  It has since gone back up a little, but the doctors all assure us that it's pretty normal to have fluctuations while his head adjusts to the shunt.  Brock and I spent the week in Dallas relaxing and holding our sweet little man and did all we could to provide some comfort while he recovered.  I have been SO excited with how the shunt looks.  You can definitely tell it's there, but it is nowhere NEAR as obvious as I thought it was going to be.  With a little more fat and hair on his head, you won't even notice it's there!  At this point with the shunt, we just have to watch for signs of infection.  If an infection occurs, it is most likely to happen during the first 6 months after it was placed.  So between him being a preemie and more susceptible to sickness anyway, and having the shunt, we are praying that we can get through the upcoming winter without any problems.
          We were so happy that his recovery went so well and especially that it was fast, because we HAD to be back home by Saturday.  My daughter’s birthday was Saturday and my parents needed to be able to get back home too. You can imagine our relief then, when on Friday morning, the doctors felt that Flint was recovered well enough to return to Amarillo.  They assured us that transport would be scheduled for us as soon as they cleared everything with Flint’s doctors in the NICU here at home.  Brock and I left the hospital Friday afternoon, waiting to hear when exactly we were leaving Dallas, and went to the Ronald McDonald house (where we stayed) to clean up and check out.  We got everything squared away there, and then returned to the hospital so I could catch a ride home with Flint.  Brock was going to leave to drive home as soon as he said goodbye to Flint.  As we entered the NICU again and proceeded to scrub in, the Neonatologist in Dallas came up to us and told us that the Amarillo NICU didn’t have room for Flint until at least Monday so we were stuck in Dallas until then.  I immediately started to cry (not unusual for me these days) because I just knew we had to get home, and now we were stuck. I no longer had a place to stay and Davis was going to be heartbroken that I wasn’t home for her big day.  We walked into Flint’s room and started to explain what was going on to the nurse.   I bawled and bawled while I told her that Brock would drive home to be with our daughter, but that I was now stuck there for the weekend.  Our nurse finally just said “I know it’s a long drive, but why don’t you leave Flint here and both of you drive home for the birthday.  Then you can catch a flight back here on Sunday and stay here until Flint is ready to go home.”  It was a hard decision, but we quickly felt like that was the right thing to do.  Having four older kids and one baby in the NICU means I am constantly trying to decide which kid needs me more at which point in time.  It’s a huge balancing act and it’s hard to make ANY decision without feeling guilty.  I am grateful for the Spirit to help me know WHO I need to be with and WHEN, but it is still hard to have to divide my time and attention in this manner. 
            Anyway, we felt like we needed to take our nurse’s advice.  We kissed Flint goodbye, knowing he was well taken care of and wouldn’t even notice we were gone.  Then we hopped in the van and drove home, arriving with just enough time to assemble Davis’s birthday treat and wrap presents before going to bed for a small rest.  We spent the next day celebrating her birthday and going to football and soccer games for Duke and Gage.  I was so glad to be home for everything, but by the end of the day I was exhausted!  My original plan was to ride back to Dallas Sunday morning with my sister’s family, who was on their way home after a vacation in Utah.  After a long and exhausting day though, I decided to just fly when I found a cheap ticket on Southwest.  So less than 48 hours after leaving Dallas, I arrived back at the hospital to find Flint resting and doing well.  I spent that night there in the hospital with him and then we FINALLY got to fly back to Amarillo Monday afternoon. 
          Overall, it was a humbling experience to be in Dallas. The people that work at the Children’s Medical center are amazing!  They are so skilled at what they do, but they are even better at the personal way they treat you.  That hospital is a place where kids with REALLY big problems go and all the employees treat you with tenderness and kindness.  I am so grateful for that hospital, but I hope I NEVER have to go back again! 
          We are glad to be home, even though Flint is still in the NICU.  He’s doing well, but still has some issues to work through before he can come home.  Tomorrow I’ll try to write more about how he is doing at this point but right now I am too tired to keep writing.  More updates to come!  Please continue to pray for us!  Flint’s struggles are not over just because his surgery is.  In fact, in many ways, I feel like the hard part is just beginning.  Only time will tell!

 Immediately after his surgery



          The Ronald McDonald House, where we stayed.  What an amazing facility and organization!

                      Aunt Katie got to come visit!

 

The NICU was located on the 7th floor, also known as the "Longhorn Floor."  Coincidence that such excellence and care was offered on the floor associated with Longhorns?  I think not!

                       Some of the sweet nurses who took care of Flint (and his mom and dad!).

        Sweet angel boy, ready to go home!