Last night I received the news that Kehlani could be discharged as early as Thursday, July 2, 2020! I was so excited but it was so late I could only call one person I thought might be up – ironically, she’s the same person who helped me start this journey by encouraging (rather, insisting) I go to the hospital immediately with the contraction she heard me have over the phone. My cousin Amy has been a rock in my life for the past 34 years. We are first cousins through our fathers so we shared the same amazing “Doggy in the Window” – singing, mulberry-picking, lawn-mowing Grandma Alice. Amy and I have consistently spoken on the phone for over a decade, sharing about our lives and sorting through our feelings. Amy’s one of the people I know I can talk to without judgment or shame, but with a loving honesty too. Amy is the sister I never had. She’s the sister I hope Kai and Kehlani get to have with each other. So of course, since Marcus was sleeping, I called Amy with the news of the Thursday projected discharge date. We talked for over an hour until I was so tired, I about fell asleep on her.

The next morning, I shared the news with Marcus. It was so exciting to get to see an actual end date in sight. I couldn’t wait to see Kai’s face when she got to meet her sister. My heart was already skipping beats with excitement. 

Then after the 11am breastfeeding session, Dr. Leonard came back in and asked a few questions, told me how happy he was with Kehlani’s progression, and asked if I was ready at home. (Good thing I spent Sunday nesting with Kai!) I told him I had prepared her bassinet and had the carseat in the room, ready for her carseat test. Then the words that came out of his mouth were extremely unexpected. He asked what I thought of sending her home tomorrow… as in Wednesday, July 1st. I was so taken aback by the thought I would have loved to see the look on my face. “Um, yes, ok, then I’ll need to order that Eileen’s “thank you” cookie asap!” is what I remember saying. He laughed and said, “If ordering an Eileen’s cookie is all you need to do to be ready, I think you’re all set.” 

I called Marcus as soon as I possibly could. He was so thrilled to hear the news! We discussed how we could make it a surprise for my parents! My dad was kind of ready for the Thursday date so I thought it’d be fun to surprise him and my mom with an early arrival! Truth be told, I’m writing this during my last night here (June 30th) but I’m not publishing it until after my parents and Grandma Jeanne have met Kehlani and know that we are home. Photos to come from the first introductions!

As the day went on, I started to feel a little bad. I realized we’ve only been in here for 16 days so far but it’s felt like 2 months. I’ve really enjoyed the talks with the nurses and the kindness they each show. They love, care for, and nurture the babies in their care. These women are heroes (or sheroes). They are definitely Kehlani’s heroes. As many tears as I’ve cried (postpartum hormones included) about not being able to have both of my baby girls together in the same place, I didn’t expect to shed a few tears thinking about the nurses and not having them to talk to anymore. I really hope I don’t miss any names, but I want to shout out to all of the nurses I can think of, who’ve cared for Kehlani. Bri, Logan, Angie, Abbie, Colleen, Nancy, Sayward, Katie, and I know I’m missing a few. I don’t think I can blame the “pregnancy brain” anymore! Marcus and I want to thank you, ladies, for being so amazing to our family, our daughter, and for taking such amazing care of her. She entered this world without meeting her grandparents who have loved her since the moment they found out about her and missing out on 2 weeks of their love, but the nurses have definitely made up for it. We are forever grateful and sadly, an Eileen’s Cookie is not going to be enough to say Thank You, but it’s a small gesture of our appreciation. We look forward to coming to the NICU reunion this Fall!