Home Is Where The Heart Is

Brody Update 02/18/19

You hear people use the phrase “home is where the heart is.” This usually means the place where you grew up, where you have lots of memories, good and bad. It’s a place of comfort. The place that you love, that you feel at peace, that you miss when you aren’t there. That place, is home. Even above all that, home is not restricted to a physical home or address. It’s simply where you love to be any time, all the time.

By the grace of God, this past month the Hospital has been our home. It wasn’t just where we had our first baby. It wasn’t just where Brody had open heart surgery. It wasn’t just the place that we stayed for over a week.

IT WAS OUR HOME.

Claire and I were in awe at how peaceful we felt there. With all the unknown and risks, we had all the reason to hate being in that hospital. But we didn’t. We could feel God’s power, peace, and glory each and every day as Brody made his recovery, and because of that we didn’t want to miss one second.

Now, as much as we did feel comfortable at the hospital with Brody, I can’t describe the feeling of bringing our first born son HOME. The home where there are lots of memories. The home that brings peace and comfort.

Yes, you heard me right.

WE ARE HOME!!

Brody was discharged from the hospital Saturday morning. Claire and I couldn’t believe this was already happening.

Every doctor and surgeon told us a specific timeline for Brody’s healing, but very quickly the expected timeline was taken over by an eternal, supernatural author.

Originally:

-Brody would be in the hospital for up to 4-6 weeks.

-We would have to wait 7-10 days after delivery for him to even have surgery.

However…

-Brody’s surgery happened less than 48 hours after delivery. We were told no more than 5 weeks left in the hospital.

-Then, they took him off oxygen in less than a week. His new discharge date was 3-4 weeks.

-Brody started feeding like a champ by bottle and not through his feeding tube, so they said no more than two weeks.

-Just 11 days after he was born, we were sent home!

Brody is doing so good at home! He lost over a pound post surgery, but is now breastfeeding, as well as taking breastmilk by bottle with some added formula to help him gain wait. He loves his baby swing that his auntie Kalli and uncle Corey bought for him, and he sleeps well through the night aside from feeding every few hours.

Once again, we are totally in shock at how God has worked this past week. What felt like months, was done in 11 days. The surgeons and cardiac specialists seemed to be just as shocked as we were! Amazed at his recovery.

We write this grateful and humble. We understand that this could’ve gone other ways. It could’ve ended differently. And we also understand that for many people and families, it doesn’t end “happily ever after”. And for that, our hearts break. We want to encourage you that no matter what, God knows you. Through times of few and of much, through joy and mourning, He is with you!!

Thank you to all the people who have been praying with and for us.

Brody’s journey has just begun!