I saw my Robbie this afternoon. It's the weekend, and this is what I do on the weekends. And guess what? He's in an open crib now. Wow! Right out there in the room air where I can see him at all angles and pick him right up and snuggle him! So I sat there and had our first feeding experience. He got about half his feeding through the bottle that I held for him. It was poky going because he refused to wake up and eat. Seriously did not want to wake up and eat. We finally gave him the rest through his feeding tube, but this is getting so close to having him come home that I'm starting to feel on pins and needles. Really.

My preemie is coming home.

I'm finally going to be an official mother of two, not just a technical mother of two. Now comes the challenges. The feedings. The diapers. The laundry.

Oh. God. The laundry!

And you know what? The most miraculous part of that homecoming that I can see is that there is a very very good possibility that this child will be coming home medication free. Is that legal? I mean, is it really possible to bring home a child of ours without medication? Just his special formula, and his regular newborn needs, and not a huge bag of medicines and eye droppers and special instructions? I could swoon at the freedom that will give me.

Not sure if that sort of freedom will make sense to other parents. Does it? You'd think that fragile newborns took away a lot of freedom as it is. But then.... the Toddler came home on two meds and they had different dosing schedules, and it finally came down to having one person (me) in charge of the whole shebang because we got so worried about coordinating it especially in the middle of the night. Anyway.

Got to go hug said Toddler. She's adorable today. More so than every other day. I love her so much and I love her brother so much and I'm getting all mushy and maternal right now.