2 weeks.

We're going home tonight! And, I couldn't be more excited.

Gable is doing great...and in a few days, she probably won't even remember the hospital stay. We also hope that this will be a distant memory for Roy and me in no time. After that inital night in the hospital she hasn't had a fever and has been eating just fine - actually, that's an understatement - the girl likes to eat! She's gained well over a pound since her arrival and is tipping the scales past 10 lbs. now. If I can be a little biased, I'd like to say that she's absolutely, hands down, the cutest thing I've ever seen. She's starting to make more sweet sounds, her schedule is becoming just a tad more predictable (although not even close to sleeping through the night) and I even caught her smiling back at me yesterday (perhaps it was gas but we'll just go with it, okay).

I can't say that I'm thankful for the opportunity to go through this experience but there are so many wonderful things I can be thankful for, despite the circumstance...

I have been in awe by the way our friends and family have surrounded us, without even having to see us. Ann and Laura put together an incredible care basket full of just about anything you can possibly need in the hospital - gift certificates from surrounding restaurants, snacks, magazines, homemade cookies, lotion, lip balm, the list goes on an on. And, if there was anything that was forgotten, Michelle covered it in her gift basket to us full of lavender spa toiletries, hot tea, fruit, more magazines and snacks...along with dinner, of course. Dina brought dinner, Alison brought dinner and Courtney brought dinner. Kathryn sent me text messages everyday from Jesus, which was something that I began to look forward to. I also received well over a hundred emails, voicemails and text messages from friends sending us their thoughts and prayers as we navigated these merky waters. I also had four friends contact me that had gone through similiar experiences. These gestures have literally brought me to tears many times...I never felt alone.

So maybe I don't understand why we had to go through this...or why we could have possibly be sent home the second day if they would have received a successful spinal tap in the emergency room...but, the Lord knows..and I trust that He cares deeply for us. How encouraging it has been to watch everyone care for Gable (and us!) the way that they have...and for that, there are no words for how thankful that I am.

We are planning to leave the hospital after her 6:00pm antibiotic treatment. They'll remove the PICC line and we'll probably have to wait an hour or so before we're released. I've only left the hospital twice in the past two weeks - both times just to run home for a few hours to grab a few personal items and take a "real" shower...so you can probably imagine how ready I am to take Gable back with me this time...for good (I've had to remind her a few times that this hospital room is not her home :). I'm going to be much more careful with Gable this time around but will also have to continue to trust the Lord with her life and remind myself that I can't protect her from everything. We don't know how she got menigitis and she's not any more likely to get it again.

I am so thankful that this is almost behind us...and, we truly believe that the Lord has completely healed her. Learning to trust the Lord with what we have been given...was that the plan all along?