Leaving Duke

Yesterday was so bittersweet. It was a long day of getting all the pieces to fall into place so we could bring Carter home. We had to say good-bye to so many people, who we've come to care greatly about. We will miss each one of you and wish we had a house big enough for all of you to come live with us :) There were many Doctors, NPs and Nurses who stopped by to wish us well, which was very touching. We've become very attached to these people and hope that we'll see them again on our visits to Duke. If any of you are reading this, we thank you for saving Carter's life. There isn't even a right way to share with you our gratitude, but know that you'll always have a special place in our hearts for the great job you have done.

It felt so strange to unhook him from the monitors and just carry him out. I kept waiting for security to chase us down and tell us to bring their baby back!

On a side note, Dr.E (one of Monkey's namesakes) told us, just after Carter came off ECMO, that his prediction for going home was Valentine's Day. We were determined to beat his goal and had to rub it in a little yesterday that we were going home earlier than he predicted! Here's what we have had next to Carter's crib.

Our NICU Buddies: Riley, who is already home, but had a check-up at Duke, and Mercy Grace, Carter's ECMO roomie, who also went home yesterday after 5 months at Duke. (Mercy's Dad was running around trying to get ready for her homecoming, so he missed the photo op)

Outside the NICU!

We kept our promise and wore Duke shirts out of the hospital. As you can see, I couldn't bring myself to wear Duke-Blue.

First Car Ride