We made it.

We did it, we got her home, words can't describe the relief.

I got down to the hospital at about 9 (I have taken 3 weeks off work to be with the girls) and the discharge process was already well under way. This really just involved paperwork and a final check from the specialist paediatrician. Deb had the car already packed up so all that remained was to wait for Sophie to wake up and have a feed, then to say goodbye to everyone. We took her up to the Lab after that had happened to see my old work colleagues and then it was into the car and off to Medlab to see my current work colleagues, they presented us with a big box FULL of gifts which was very generous and thoughtful.

By the time we got her home she was out to it and so we just let her sleep in the capsule while we made up her bed. Grandma Bertie was at home doing Debs flowers when we got there, it really nice for her to be able to be here when we first got Sophie home, and we have also already had a visit from Grandad Harry as well.

The family bassinet, which she is going to be sleeping in was still on it way to us so we had to improvise.....

Yes that right, into the bath it was! it's as good as anything really, the right size and portable, once we got all her bedding into it you probably wouldn't even know. It's only for a day anyway because Auntie Beck and Grandma Judy are coming to visit today and will bring the Bassinet with them. We do have a cot set up in the nursery but she is going to be sleeping in our room for the first 6 months or so.

We have had endless warnings about how hard it is going to be having her at home. The nurses at the NNU said that we might feel a little bit fragile without their support at hand, but so far no worries there. There has also been a lot of quotes along the lines of "now you'll know the meaning of sleep deprivation" or "once you've got her home you'll be begging them to take her back", said partly in jest I think but still. I don't know what they were talking about. It might be a little premature (excuse the pun) because it has only been a day but really there doesn't seem to be anything more natural to us. It's like she has just been away somewhere and has come back, and things are getting back to how they were supposed to be. Maybe that has something to do with the gaping hole left in our lives by Sarah's absence, but if we can pull that positive out of it then I think she would like that. We plan to take Sophie down to Sarah at some point, today is a beautful sunny, still, warm day so it might be a good opportunity.

On a lighter note I just had to include this pic, this is her having her hearing test done, the electrode on her forehead can detect if she is hearing the sounds played into the headphones, clever. We reckon she looks like a little alien! or one of those "I'm so serious about MY music that I don't mind looking like a twat" iPod guys we used to see on the tube.

Well now that she is home and settled I guess that it is time to wrap up this blog. I am as yet undecided but if I do I will probably start another under a different heading, this was really supposed to be about her journey through her weeks of prematurity, and now she is nearly "full term" and home I think that it is time to either call it quits or start another general "Greenwood family" blog, similar to Rach's. What do you think?