We are excited to let you all know that Josiah came home on Tuesday night. His discharge was somewhat sudden, although we had been told to expect it sometime during the early part of the week. He is doing very well, according to the doctors and nurses. The stitches in his back were removed on Tuesday morning — the incision has healed nicely.
Our challenge now is to adjust to his care routine. Every three hours he is fed (the milk has to be thickened because of feeding problems), we change his diaper, do his catheter, and alternate time with his braces off and then on. We also have a list of things to monitor — warning signals that will indicate additional fluid up in his brain. The surgeon told us that as long as there continues to be no need for a shunt, we can expect to have to monitor things closely until he is two. After that point, it would be unlikely that the hydrocephalus would build up and require a shunt. We will be going to the hospital for regular check-ups and tests for at least the next couple of years, right now on a weekly basis.
He is such a happy, content baby — he very seldom complains about anything and spends a lot of time sleeping. Hannah seems completely unphased by his presence, and hasn’t seemed too interested in what’s going on, except for when he peeps up once in a while — and she has taken an interest in his pacifier!
Again — thank you all for your prayers, cards, phone calls, e-mails, etc. We’re particularly thankful for Casey’s mom (Betty) who has stayed with us for an extended period time to help with housework and taking care of Hannah (quite a handful!) — we don’t know what we would have done without her being with us. The Lord has continued to give us strength through this time of new challenges and responsibilities, and we’re thankful that he cares for his little child Josiah and even now has his loving and wise hand upon him.
