Day 35 - It's The Final Countdown...

You know you want to....  And you know it was already running through your head, just from the title... Well, this is about how it feels for us tonight... Tomorrow is Amelia's last day at Kartini Clinic.  We had our doubts and our concerns, but I think we are all resigned to and ready for Amelia (and us) to head home...

Katherine tried talking to Sherrill about our concerns this morning, and she came away from that feeling disappointed and unsatisfied with the results.  We still felt like we were getting different stories from different people, and different criteria for discharge.  So, I sat down, typed out an e-mail and sent it to Dr. Moshtael, Sherrill, and our family counselor, Leslie.  A couple of hours later, Dr. Moshtael called me on a conference call with Sherrill and Amy (Amelia's daily therapist) to go over the concerns, and make sure we were all on the same page.  The results of that were:

1. Amelia's weight at her vitals today was 66.4 lbs, up a pound from Monday (and this was SUCH a good sign, for me at least, that she is doing well)
2. We can feed her anything, including a shake if we need to, to make sure she is getting enough food.  We just don't want to LEAD with the softer foods and things like that or they will become her go-to meals.
3. Because of previous concerns, and Amelia's young age, they kept her there a week longer than they normally might.
4. If things don't continue to improve, we are going to a new pediatrician who is very familiar with Kartini, and we can always go back if we need to.

So, now what?  Well, Amelia is officially getting discharged tomorrow, but some visitors were already planning on coming this weekend, so we (mainly Katherine and Amelia) will be staying here until Sunday.  I will be heading back to Longview/Kelso area Saturday early sometime to do the recycling and get ready for a new dryer to arrive.  After that, I will probably do some cleaning around the house in preparation for the girls coming home on Sunday.  Lastly, I will head back after the dryer arrives to spend our final night at Ronald McDonald House.

A bright point today as well, Katherine's Aunt Mary Lou called.  She has many times been like a mother to Katherine and has always been one of our most loved relatives.  She is such a wonderful person.  She apologized for not being able to help more, and then told us she was going to send us a big enough amount of money to cover the remainder of Amelia's Kartini Clinic bill.  It was amazing.  It was entirely out of the blue, and it was the best thing financially that could have happened.  Thank you so much Aunt Mary Lou.  We all appreciate it so much.

Now, it is just getting through the last couple of days, and next week, we will be at home.  I intend to continue this blog for a while though, as we adjust to a new life at home with the changes we have been through and how Amelia does in this new/old environment.  More to come....