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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Welcome Home Ella


All dressed up and ready to go home

Saying bye to Nurse Florence and waiting for Daddy to come pick us up

Daddy putting me in the carseat

Taking everything in on the ride home

After 76 days in the NICU Ella is finally home!! We left the hospital this past Saturday and cried tears of joy the whole way home. It was such an overwhelming feeling to finally be bringing our sweet girl home. We are so thankful to have her and to not have to leave her anymore. She had quite the home coming! Our sweet friends and family lined our driveway with balloons and signs and were cheering as we pulled up to the house. More tears then too. :) They waited out in the wind and cold for over an hour to welcome us home. Amazing! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful support system and we couldn't do this without our friends and family. Thank you to all of you for everything you have done and are doing for us. We love you so much!




It has been so fun having Ella here with us. Eva just adores her already and Ella seems to feel the same about her. Eva loves giving her hugs and kisses and Ella just smiles back at her. It is so sweet! Eva loves to help burp her and give her a passy too. She is such a good big sister. Ella loves the attention and loves being held. We think she got a little spoiled by all the attention she got from her nurses. Thank you NICU nurses for taking care of our girl!



So what is life like at the Carder house? A little crazy but good. There is not a lot of sleeping happening right now so we are very tired. It is a big adjustment for all of us but we know that with time we will get into a routine and things will get a little easier. We are really working hard on Ella's feedings. It is slow going so I feel like all we are doing is feeding. We offer her a bottle every time and whatever she doesn't finish we put through her G-button and because she still doesn't do well with the bottle it is quite an ordeal each time. She has taken several full feedings since she has been home. Yea Ella! Her bottle feedings are still inconsistent but better than what they have been in weeks so we are trying to be thankful for the small steps she is making. However, we still have a ways to go and it is still a struggle for her so please continue to pray that they improve. We are trying to be patient and not get discouraged when she really fights it so please pray for patience and perseverance for us as we work on getting her to eat better.

The other news is that we have an appointment with Scottish Rite on December 9 to evaluate Ella's shoulder. As I mentioned in a previous post the MRI she had at Cook's last week showed that she has an abnormal scapula (shoulder blade) and there appears to be no clavicle (collar bone). There will be more evaluation done on the
9th and hopefully then we will know more. We are so glad to have gotten an appointment so quickly and we're thankful to be getting things moving on this. It will probably still be several months before any kind of surgery but it will be good to have more information. Please continue to pray for this as well as we are anticipating an extensive surgery and recovery.

That is about all the news we have. We are just trying to enjoy our time as a family of four and rest when we can. Thank goodness for grandparents! We would not survive without them. Here are some pictures of Ella leaving the hospital and her home coming. More pictures to come! Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. Keep praying, we love you, The Carders


Ella and CC

Ella and Dee

Ella with Mimi and Pawpaw

Home at last

16 comments:

The Speck family said...

Praising God and crying tears of joy~ we could not be happier for you guys! That baby girl is just gorgeous and so is her bib sister. Love and hugs, the Specks

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I love it that she is home with yall. That was such a fun and special homecoming. She is absolutely beautiful. We are praying for yall as we know that this next chapter has many challenges. We love you guys so much. May God fill you with perseverance and strength, and may He renew your energy. You two are the greatest parents and Eva and Ella Carder are blessed to have you both. Love yall!

Jodi said...

I have been SO looking forward to this post... checking in several times a day!!! Praising God right now for a great homecoming!!!!!! I know this new adjustment has got to be hard, but it is obvious that it is also just beyond wonderful! I'm just so happy for you all. The girls are gorgeous, and your sister is right... they are so blessed to have you. Prayers continuing.... love y'all!

Chesley said...

I have been waiting patiently to read how things were going! I am thrilled that Ella is home where she belongs. What a special family she has.
Saturday was such a special day and as friends we love that we got to share it with your family. We love you all so much. I promise pictures are coming. The batteries went out in my camera and so as soon as I can get on that I will send the pics to you.

Many Hugs!!!

The Brackeens said...

Wow! That is so wonderful. What great news to read. God is good.

Anonymous said...

Yeah! I wish we could've been there to celebrate with you. Still praying for you and Ella's feedings during my middle-of-the night feedings.
Love you so much,
Christiana

Anonymous said...

I am so happy that Ella is finally home! I am crying tears of joy for all of you while reading this and couldn't be happier for you. I have been checking all week and hoping that all is well at home. Ella is absolutely beautiful as is Eva. You are two special parents and Eva and Ella are two very special and very lucky little girls. What a wonderful homecoming, I love the pictures of all your family and friends, how special you all are. I love you all very much.

Calista said...

I cried all over again reading about Ella coming home. I know things most be overwhelming but you are strong and will get past all this. Please let me know if you ever need a brake. I can work G-bottons in my sleep so would love to come over and let you get out and do some stuff. Love you guys and I was so blessed to have been there to welcome you guys home.

Kacy said...

Yea Ella!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are so strong and brave - just like your mommy & daddy. I'm so happy that you get to be home with your family now. Your big sister Eva will show you the ropes! You are a joyous blessing to your family and to everyone who knows you - even people like me who haven't met you but have read all about how God is taking care of you. You are His beautiful, perfect child. I send you lots of love and prayers from Arizona!

amber dayton said...

Praising God for such sweet news! Those pics of your little bright eyed girl were precious - she looked like she was really taking in all the new sights! We will be praying for a smooth transition home for all of you, including the lucky big sister. Praying for lots of rest too!

Shelly said...

Oh yea!!!! I have checked your blog quite frequently all week hoping I would see this post! We were out of town for her "homecoming" and sure wish we could have been there! So happy Ella is home and will be praying for adequate rest for you guys. And of course for her evaluation at SR in just a few more weeks. I love the pictures with Eva---sweet sisters!! Love y'all so much!

Summer said...

It was so much fun for us to get to watch you bring Ella home! I saw her sweet little face from a distance and she is so precious! What sweet pictures of her and Eva - can't wait to see more soon. We love you guys and are here to help in any way that we can as you adjust to having her at home.

Kendra said...

Ahh . . this is sweet!! So glad your princess is home and that your family can all be together. Praying for rest, for good feedings, and for peace for your little family. Blessings -

Anonymous said...

Yea!!!!I am so, so glad that she is home now. You have gorgeous girls. Know that we'll keep you in our prayers.
Love,
Lana

Leigh Ann said...

She is PRECIOUS!! Praise God that she is home with the whole fam:)

Anonymous said...

How wonderful to have Ella home with you all!! Praise God for continually showing His mighty power & love in your lives! I am just thrilled to hear the news & see the pics of her in your home! She is just adorable! And Eva looks like she is a big help!

BTW...Cooper still loves his Smoothie paci, looks like Ella does, too! Thank goodness they sell them now! He won't take anything else, so if you need more, visit Target!

Love you all!!