Titus is Home!

Hooray! Titus got to come home from the hospital a day early!!! In hindsight, I'm actually so thankful for the sweet time of undivided attention that I had with Titus in the hospital. We were there together for 5 days and I had no dishes to wash, laundry to do, or emails to answer. (Or at least, they were at home and not at the hospital with me.) Titus and I read books, snuggled, talked, watched movies, and searched for Waldo together (Thanks for the "Where's Waldo?" book, Jill.)

On the drive home (completely unsolicited and "out of the blue") Titus said, "Mommy, you did a great job taking care of me in the hospital." It makes me tear up thinking about it even now. I remember my first weeks of being a stay-at-home mom with Titus as a newborn. It was a challenge for me then to work so hard without the praise or accolades in return that I had received in school or at work. I remember talking about this to a friend and telling her, "My baby is just never going to tell me, 'You're doing such a good job changing my diaper. Thank you.'" I had to become content knowing that is part of being a mother and that the fulfillment and rewards are different. Still, it was so precious to me to hear my son say, "Thank you, Mommy. Good job." It also felt like God whispering to me, "You are doing a good job. Don't grow weary. Keep going. You can do it." It meant the world to me.
Here's the painting that Mimi helped Audra make as a "welcome home" present for Titus.
Titus and Audra taking turns being the doctor and the patient with the incentive spirometer. Titus has to do his breathing excercises into this every two hours and I have to "pound" on his back four times a day for the next 10 days.