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Jackson did so well on the trip home! He loved the bumpy ride and only cried during stops. And he has continued to do well at home also. He is hardly using his oxygen, and seems to do just fine without it. His biggest problem is those awful, horrible, terrible narcotics. He still has times of withdrawal (sometimes several times a day) where his belly hurts, he breaks into a cold sweat, and he starts having a bit more trouble breathing. We ache to see him totally off those medications. Would you pray for him for no more withdrawal symptoms and the ability to wean quickly? Right now the doctors predict it may take as long as six months to be rid of them completely.

The transition to home has been...really, really tough. Though there were several team members working fervently to ensure we had all we would need when we got home, it didn't quite work out that way. I think the biggest missing piece of the "will this work" question was the fact that we weren't bringing home a machine but a child. So when you do finally manage to get twenty three medicine doses administered over 24 hours, and the tube feeding hung, and two shots given...there is still the most vital thing to attend to--the baby. He pees, he poops (sometimes on your lap), he withdraws, he gets tummy aches, he gets cold, his pabby falls out, and sometimes he just needs a good snuggle. We are very, very tired. But--you all must still be praying for us, because somehow today doesn't feel quite as hard as yesterday or yesterday as hard as the day before that. Praise the Lord! Jackson had his first visit with our pediatrician yesterday (picture below), and she worked feverishly to try to get us qualified for at the minimum 12 hour nursing care each day. Unfortunately it was Friday so it didn't happen yesterday, but we are expecting to hear more on Monday.

In other news, Jackson chugged almost a whole ounce from his bottle this afternoon! That's the most he's ever taken and the quickest he's ever taken it.

Grateful and in need of grace...
Rachel for the Vanns