Home Sweet Home!

Just a quick post before I hit the sack tonight as I am thoroughly exhausted.

We got discharged from the hospital on Thursday around lunch time and were told, much to our surprise, that rather than going to the RMH for 2 days, we could drive back home! They thought Aiden was doing well enough and since we are just 3 hours from Dallas, there was no reason to make us hang around - if an issue arose in the 48 hours after we left, we'd be able to just jump in the car and head back - so home it was!

Aiden slept for most of the drive and was SO happy to be in Nana's arms when we got there. Ricky and I surprised Ethan by picking him up from school that afternoon - he wasn't expecting to see us so he was super excited. "You're home! You're home!" he shouted as he ran into our arms. "Where's my Aiden?" he asked next. His teacher was so moved she teared up at our reunion :)

Sippin' on a slushie and craking a silly smile :)

Ethan could hardly stand the 3 minute drive from school to the house, anxious to see his little brother.

The day before, I talked to him on the phone and asked if he'd seen the pictures of Aiden after his surgery. He said he had and that he "looked good" but that he "didn't want Aiden to change". We had explained that Aiden was still Aiden, only his head had to be made a little bigger so he could continue to be super smart.

On that short 3 minute drive we talked briefly about how Aiden looked. I was worried Ethan would be scared by the amount of swelling. But once home, he ran to Aiden, took one look and said "I'm so glad you're home! I missed you buddy!" It didn't even phase him.


While we were gone, Ethan spent a lot of time thinking about his brother - making him cards, "Welcome Home" posters that he hung in the garage so we would see them when we pulled up, and he even personalized some large rocks. Five of them with our names on them. One for mommy, one for daddy, one for Aiden (in his favorite color orange), one for himself and one for Hudson. They now decorate our front landscaping :)

Aiden slept well last night. With his eyes being swollen shut still, we didn't feel comfortable putting him in his own bed - even though Ethan begged to have his roommate back - so he slept in with me, and Ricky kept Ethan company upstairs. The swelling is starting to decrease for the most part, with the exception of his left eye which has gotten much worse. It has turned from a deep, dark purple to a brighter pink and is so puffy it looks as if it could just burst any minute. I took a picture, sent it to his doctor, and was reassured that it is normal and nothing to be concerned about at this time.

Despite complaining about his eyes hurting and being frustrated that he can't see what is going on around him, Aiden has been nothing short of amazing. He's starting to get his silly personality back. He's eating like a champ. He's not asking for much other than for some extra snuggling...which I will always happily oblige.

Keeping our fingers crossed that tomorrow will be the day where his eyes will start to peek open. It's got to be hard to live "in the dark" for going on 5 days now!