Dear Sydney,
I can't find my camera so I can't post any picture but as soon as I find it- I will put them up. I promise.

Well, lets just jump straight to the good stuff. You are now home from the hospital! You were doing so good that they sent us home on Sunday afternoon. I literally felt a weight lifting off my shoulders as we walked out the hospital doors. You were in the hospital for a total of 5 days- which is great because they originally told us to plan on staying for 7-10 days. You are so strong.

You were sent home on 5 medications. Two of them help you to basically pee out all of the fluids that are still in your lungs. Another one is to keep your blood pressure down. Your heart is used to working exteremly hard and the dr.'s said it will take a while for it it to realize it doesn't have to do so much work anymore. Another one is for the thrush that has decided to camp out on your tongue. Because you were on antibiotics for the first two days in the ICU it caused your body to react in such a way that a fungus-y white stuff started growing in your mouth. You were also sent home with a prescription pain killer but you haven't needed it. You have been using children's tylenol for the past 4 days. I am so amazed that you haven't been wrenching in pain. Instead you smile, kick your legs, try to roll over, and giggle. What a sweet girl you are.

I have noticed dramatic changes in you since your surgery. The first thing everyone notices when they see you is that you have color in your face now. You aren't pale anymore! You have rosy cheeks and a pink tint to the rest of your body! Oh, how I love it! You have so much more energy! Your legs are getting stronger by the day and your naps only last about 15-30 minutes and then you are good to go. (15 minutes is an extremely short nap but hey...at least you aren't sleeping all day!) You used to have a little cough and that is completely gone now. I love it! You used to cough so much that it would make you vomit and since your sugery you haven't vomited once. Wow! Your appetite has sky rocketed! On the drive home you drank 4 bottles in 4 hours. It was amazing! Your Dad and I just kept laughing because we couldn't believe it! Your weight gain has also increased. The day that we left the hospital you clocked in at 10 lbs. Today you went to the pediatrician and you weighed exactly 11 lbs. Whoa! I am so proud of you. I can't wait for you to have rolls going down your thighs and arms. I also love that I can't feel your heart pounding every time I put my hand on your back. You used to work so hard just to be able to breathe and now that's not the case anymore.

Something that I keep thinking about is what the surgeon told us after he finished your surgery. After he was through explaining that the hole in your heart was bigger than expected he said "God must want your heart to be beating because it's still beating." He was surprised that your symptoms weren't worse than what they were. He said that you were in the stages of heart failure. I don't even want to think about where we would be if your surgery was a few weeks further down the road. You obviously have some important work you need to do on this earth, Sydney. I feel so blessed.

Your incision looks good and strong. The surgeon did a perfect job at keeping it in a straight, clean line. It's not a messy scar by any means. The pediatrician took out your stitches from your chest tube today. You didn't even cry. You are proving to me everyday that you have a high pain tolerance. Which is a blessing for all of us. I hate to see you in pain. It is so hard to watch.

You are an example to us all, Sydney. We love you so much. I'll be sure to update you more frequently now that we are home and settled in.

Love always and forever,
Mom