Strange Times

We went to the doctor today and found out all kinds of interesting information. First, as if f being 14 weeks premature wasn't enough, it turns out Clara is also going through puberty. Clara has an increased level of estrogen (something that can happen to any baby but is fairly common in preemies) and, as a result, is starting to have some swelling in her chest area. Her face is also spotted with baby acne. It doesn't show up well in the picure below, but even though it is referred to as "baby acne", these are the kind of zits that will make her not want to go out in public in 12-14 years. When you combine those things with the fact she doesn't do anything we tell her and likes to sleep all day, Clara is 5 lb, 10oz teenager. The doctor said the swelling in her chest and the baby acne will go away, so hopefully we won't have to confront these issues again until she is middle school.

Seriously Mom and Dad, get out of my room!

Second, the doctor told us that we need to have "skin-to-skin" contact with the kids, especially while they're feeding. We knew this was important from our time in the NICU, but didn't know it was something we still needed to be doing. With one child this would probably look sweet and wonderful. With two kids it looks a little like a Roman bath house. Thank goodness no one was around to take pictures.

Although, if you visited our house right now you might not notice the two of us. Some of our friends ordered dinner and had it delivered to us tonight. When the delivery man walked in his eyes immediately widened and his head drew back as he took in the scene of what used to be our living room. After doing a 180 degree scan he looked at Chris and expressed with shock and amazement, "oh wow, there are babies everywhere!" We think he half-expected to see a TLC camera crew pop out from behind the door. Imagine what he would've thought if he had arrived about 25 minutes earlier.

The one bit of negative new from the day is the doctor thought Clara might have a hernia. We'll get that checked out next week and watch it closely. The doctor also recommended going back to feeding Clara and Wilson every three hours. This might not seem like such a big deal, but they had recently worked up to getting food every four hours. Adding two more feedings (or four more feedings depending how you look at it) significantly cuts back our already dwindling sleep time. Oh well, if it will help Clara and Wilson grow, we'll feed every hour and not complain . . . at least for a few more weeks. The joy of having them both home still trumps any negative feelings or sleep deprivation. We'll ride those emotions as long as we can.  

When the Saints Go Marching In

After 99 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Clara Marie McGarvey came home on Saturday. Since nothing about this experience has been normal, we decided simply bringing Clara home in customary fashion would not be appropriate. Instead we threw a Homecoming Parade in which Clara and Wilson were the Grand Marshals (yes, they were the only float, but they were still the Grand Marshals). What actually happened surpassed our wildest expectations and will forever be one of the happiest days of our life.

For us, the parade started at Kosair Children's Hospital. We had been full or part-time residents there for 109 days (including the days Chris was hospitalized after her water broke) and grew close to several of the wonderful people who work there. In one of the more touching gestures of the day, a neonatologist who has shepherded our kids toward recovery since the delivery room asked to carry Clara to the car.

We drove home and parked the car one block away so the parade attendees wouldn't see the parade "float" until we were closer. We loaded Clara and Wilson into their double stroller, pressed "play" on the ipod system we put underneath the stroller, and rolled down the street with Lady GaGa's "Born this Way" blasting from the happiest double stroller in the world.  

We quickly rounded the corner onto our street but were not prepared for what we saw. Thirty or more of our friends and family were lining the sidewalk holding balloons and cheering for Clara and Wilson. We threw out candy, kleenex and hand sanitizer before taking the star attractions out of their stroller to meet those in attendance. 

The parade was wonderful and reminded us once again how lucky we are to have so many wonderful people holding us up and helping us through this experience. We've stated this numerous times before but can't say it enough; none of us - Chris, Morgan, Clara, or Wilson - would have made it to this point without your love, prayers, and support.  Thank you!

Of course, now that the kids are home, the parade is over and the party has started. These two night owls are a bunch of fun and we look forward to continue telling their story. We'll have more tomorrow (hopefully) on what it is like having all four of us under the same roof (here is a one word hint: crazy). We also have two doctor's appointments this week, one with the pediatrician and our first follow up with the neonatologists, and will let you know how those go. However, it is now time for the midnight feeding.

PS - We tried to insert video from our friend Bailey of the Homecoming Parade but we keep getting a message that an "error" occurred while trying to process our video. It plays on our our computer so we're sure it's our fault and will try to get that fixed as well.

Delay of Game

Clara's arrival at home is a wonderful miracle, but we're quickly discovering 1 + 1 doesn't always equal two . . . especially if you're adding how many newborn babies live under your roof. The option for the double team is out of our play book and we are scrambling in man-to-man coverage. We apologize for not posting more pictures and stories from Clara's homecoming and promise to remedy that soon. We do want to share those memories with you and will hopefully have something up tomorrow. In the meantime, rest assured we're enjoying all the fun of being new parents.

Chris actually left Morgan alone with Clara and Wilson to go to the grocery.
All hell broke loose while she was away and this was the scene she was greeted
with when she got back home.

The Fab Four

Love you forever and forever

Love you with all my heart

Love you whenever we're together

Love you when we're apart

And when at last I find you

Our song will fill the air

Sing it loud so I can hear you

Make it easy to be near you

For the things you do endear me to you

Oh you know I will.

In the car with two babies! Headed home to the homecoming parade!

In the car with two babies! Headed home to the homecoming parade!

In the car on the way to the hospital!! Sitting in the backseat between two car seat bases- I barely fit!

Good News in the Forecast

We just talked with the nurses and Clara is ready to come home!!!!!!!!!! We're going to get her after her 10:00 a.m. feeding and still plan on being at our house around noon. Hopefully it doesn't rain on our parade . . . although in some ways that would be appropriate :)

Operation Preemie Parade

Clara passed her car seat test and is set to be discharged tomorrow morning after her 10:00 a.m. feeding! The doctors are so optimistic about Clara's departure that they asked us to clean out the hospital freezers and take home our remaining milk supply. (There was a lot there from when the power went out in August). We don't want to jinx things, but we believe we'll be able to get our sweet baby girl tomorrow.

Thank goodness we now have a deep freeze in the basement!

We anticipate completing the discharge process around 11:15 - 11:30 and being at our house around Noon for Clara's Homecoming Parade! Just to set everyone's expectations, there won't be any floats and the parade route won't be long (the length of our front walk), but it is going to be one of most memorable celebrations we'll ever have. Unfortunately we will not be able to pass Clara and Wilson around and let people hold them (doctor's orders), but we are excited for them to meet so many of the people who helped them (and us) through this journey. We also can't have too many people in and out of our house because we have to be very careful about exposing the kids to germs. We'll have some drinks and snacks outside and, of course, plenty of hand sanitizer. We can't wait to bring Grand Marshal Clara home to celebrate our stay in the NICU finally coming to a close. 

Get ready for Operation Preemie Parade - you down with OPP?

Past Due

Today is our due date.

Tomorrow Clara and Wilson will be 14 weeks old.

Those two sentences succinctly describe our first pregnancy; so much unexpected, but so much for which we are grateful. As with any anniversary or date of remembrance, our due date caused us to reflect on this journey. There is still some pain, but those wounds are being healed by the joy and relief of finally bringing our babies home. We will shortly reunite Clara and Wilson and have our first night together as a family. The joy in that seemingly simple accomplishment is immeasurable, regardless of what the future holds.

There is also relief in knowing we should no longer be pregnant. Especially early on, we grieved over losing our pregnancy. As of today, we can no longer harbor such thoughts. Now we can focus all of our attention on walking out of the hospital, bringing Clara and Wilson home, and starting a new kind of craziness. Thanks to prayer, love, support, and a little bit of luck, that is exactly what should happen in the next few days.

And it looks like Clara is coming still coming home on Saturday! We went to the hospital today and learned how to operate the heart rate/oxygen monitor and administer her breathing treatments. As long as nothing bad happens, we will pick Clara up around 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning and should bring her to the parade route (our driveway) by noon. We hope to see you all there. Please check the blog tomorrow and Saturday for updates.

Chris received training on how to connect
Clara's oxygen/heart rate monitor when she comes home

Our pregnancy isn't the only thing past due. We are also starting to get behind on writing thank you notes. We are embarrassed we have not done a better job staying on top of this and want you to know we plan to complete our thank you notes soon before Halloween by Christmas before Clara and Wilson are old enough to write the notes themselves. All kidding aside, we hope you accept our tardiness as further evidence of exactly how much we need and appreciate your generosity.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night!

Sorry for the bad song reference in the title, but the attending physician told us today we might be bringing home our sweet little Clara this Saturday! We could have gone with "Saturday Night Live" or "Saturday Night Fever" and chose to go with a cheesy song by the Bay City Rollers. Did we mention we're sleep deprived? 

As we know from going through this with Wilson, anything can and will happen. Just because the doctors think she will come home on Saturday doesn't mean she will be ready on that day. However, we are all moving forward as if Clara will be joining us this weekend.

Clara's departure from the NICU will be a little more interesting than Wilson's because she will require extra care. On Thursday, we have to go to the hospital to learn how to administer Clara's breathing treatments. Clara will also come home with an oxygen monitor. She is breathing on her own but we need to be able to see how well she is breathing so we can react quickly and appropriately if there are any problems.  

Regardless of what accoutrements Clara brings with her, we cannot emphasize enough how excited we are about the prospect of her joining us at home. Wilson had an amazing recovery in the NICU, but Clara's story is nothing short of miraculous. Clara's amniotic sac ruptured at 24 weeks, she was born breach in an emergency delivery at 26 weeks weighing 1.5 lbs, was briefly on a ventilator, and contracted MRSA while in the hospital. Yet here we are, standing on the precipice of bringing home a beautiful 5 lb baby girl.

Clara has fought so hard for so long that we've decided to try something special to mark the occasion. Balloons and a sign aren't enough to welcome her home; we need to have a real celebration. The NCAA, Trivial Pursuit, and Jeopardy all credit the University of Missouri with having the first ever college homecoming celebration. Chris and Morgan are both proud graduates of the University of Missouri (where Homecoming is still a really big deal) and, in a nod to their alma mater, have decided to throw a homecoming parade for Clara whenever the big day arrives. Ok, the "parade" will probably only last the length of the driveway, but everyone is invited. We are lucky to have had so many of you join us on this journey and it would be awesome to have you with us as this initial phase comes to a close. Morgan is paranoid about putting our address on the internet so email, call, or leave a comment if you need directions.

There is still a long road in front of us, but getting Clara home from the hospital is worth celebrating. We won't be able to have too much of a party because we can't have the kids in a confined space around many people, but we would love to see you if you're able to stop by. We truly could not have made it to this point without our friends and family and would be honored to share this moment with you all, even if it is somewhat brief. Watch the blog for updates because, as you know, we won't know exactly when she'll be arriving until closer to that moment.

Wilson is so excited about seeing his sister that
he peed his pants (which he somehow manages to
do in the front and back of his outfits).

Three months down, (hopefully) not too much more to go

Unbelievably, Clara and Wilson turned three months old over the weekend . . . and what a difference a month makes. When they turned two months old, both kids were in the hospital with feeding tubes. Clara was also dependent on oxygen and had just received her first dose of steroids at the two month mark. Now, Clara is breathing and eating on her own and Wilson is quickly taking over our home.

 

 

We thought we would have BIG news to announce yesterday, but as usual, Clara decided to change our plans. On Saturday evening, the doctors and nurses told us we might be able to bring Clara home on Monday (today) or Tuesday (tomorrow). This sudden change in direction seemed too good to be true, and on Sunday, Clara proved our suspicions correct. Shortly after her mid-morning meal, Clara's heart rate plummeted to 43 beats per minute. The common name for a sudden drop in heart rate is "bradycardia" - known as a "brady" - but 43 beats per minute is dangerously low. The infant CPR instructors tell you to call 911 and administer CPR at any pulse below 60 beats per minute. Fortunately Clara recovered without needing CPR, but her potential departure date has been pushed back several days. We still think there is a chance she could come home late this week or this weekend, but we'll have to wait and see how well she recovers.

Yes, we were upset, but we also do not want Clara having these kinds of episodes away from the hospital. She is doing well today and hasn't had any drops in her oxygen or her heart rate. We'll continue to closely monitor her progress and hopefully she'll being doing well enough to come home before October.

It's Game Time!

Get 'em started early.

**UPDATE** - Wilson, get used to being a Kentucky fan during football season. Don't worry, basketball is just around the corner.  

Biggie of the Smalls

Wilson had a big day. It started with an early trip to the pediatrician's office to check his weight and see how he is adjusting to life outside the NICU. Wilson has been eating well and weighed a whopping 5 lbs 5.5 ozs. The doctor was happy enough with his weight gain that we don't have to go back for another three weeks. Clara has yet to reach 5 pounds, which officially makes Wilson the Biggie of the Smalls.

"Throw your hands in the air,
like you's a true player"

After his doctor's appointment, Wilson made his first trip to his grandparents' house! I don't know who was happier, Wilson or Grandma (we're calling her "Mimi," but still aren't 100% sure it will stick). As hard as this has been on us, we sometimes forget it hasn't exactly been easy on our parents either. Today, Morgan's mom got the chance to feel like a "normal" grandparent for the first time. She took Wilson for a walk in the stroller, had his crib and cradle ready, and was able to show him off to any visitors. Morgan's Mom has been at our house every day to make sure Chris could go visit and feed Clara, and it was nice for her and Wilson to have a little change of scenery. Judging by Wilson's attitude tonight, he didn't want to come home. Don't worry Wilson, we hope you spend many more days (and nights) with your Kentucky grandparents . . . . :)

Wilson's great-grandfather made this cradle.
Too bad NONE of those skills were passed on

Clara also had a good day. It has been 24 hours and she is still without her feeding tube. Hopefully Clara will continue progressing and get back on track to join us at home. And if she is at all hesitant to come home with us, maybe Wilson can tell her how cool it is at their grandparents' house.

Delirious

No new parent gets much sleep. That is of some comfort as we stumble through much of our day half awake. Chris was so tired she fell asleep pumping on the couch yesterday. Morgan looks so bad one of his friends told him if he shaved his head he would look like Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. Last night however, our fatigue reached its zenith. After Wilson's first late night feeding (around 1:00 a.m.) we were able to get him burped and put him to sleep with some ease. Wilson is pretty consistent on his feeding schedule and only eats about every 3 hours, but we give him formula during his night feedings which helps him sleep a little longer. (The doctors ordered us to give him formula twice a day, so we give it to him at night so we all get a little more sleep). 

It was in the dead of the night, about 3:30 a.m. that Chris officially became delirious. She woke up in a panic and started shaking Morgan while urgently asking "where's Wilson!?!" Morgan was delirious enough he thought he had lost him. Rational thought never entered our heads. We recently moved Wilson into the room next to ours but we have a video camera trained on his crib. We also have a Halo monitor attached to his diaper that will beep loudly if it doesn't detect Wilson breathing. The kid has everything but a life jacket and an electric fence to keep him safe. Had we been thinking, we could have looked at the monitor on our bedside table and gone back to sleep. Instead, Chris bolted out of bed and ran to Wilson with Morgan hot on her trail. Of course Wilson was there, sleeping soundly. We're total idiots . . . or just delirious . . . or both.

These people are nuts. How much longer until I get
to go back to the NICU?

Wilson is doing well and we have another check-up with the pediatrician tomorrow to officially see how he is progressing. Not that Clara would want to come home to this loony bin, but we think she is trying. This morning she ripped out her feeding tube, so the doctors and nurses decided to let her try to take all of her feedings naturally again. Clara needs to continue gaining weight and getting stronger to be able to come home, and that will only happen if she tolerates her feedings. Hopefully this time it goes a little smoother. As we are writing this, she is still off oxygen and is either nursing or getting all of her food from a bottle.

How fast are your refluxes?

Clara didn't have such a great day again today. Her oxygen rate dropped a few times and her heart rate dropped while she was eating. When these episodes are viewed along with her recent weight loss, the doctors and nurses think she could be experiencing Gastroesophageal Reflux (or simply "reflux"). This is not an uncommon condition in preemies with underdeveloped intestines or chronic lung disease. Reflux can be very painful, but it is not life-threatening. At worst, if Clara has reflux it will add time to her hospital stay and give us more to worry about when she gets home. We just hate to see her suffer any more than she already has and hope this is a short-lived phase that won't have too many complications. 

Sorry tonight's post is so short but Chris has to work tomorrow, Morgan is really busy at work this week, and we spent a little extra time at the hospital. We'll (probably) have more news tomorrow.

In a little bit of amazing news, Wilson rolled over again. He didn't do it for the camera, but it definitely happened during "tummy time" with Chris.

We spoke too soon

Shortly after bragging on Clara's progress, the big steps she took late last week proved to be too much, too soon. On Friday, Clara lost weight, wasn't eating, and her oxygen saturation rate dropped. Early Saturday morning the doctors were forced to reinsert her feeding tube. This stopped Clara's weight loss but she still experienced a few sustained drops in her oxygen saturation which required stimulation to get her breathing correctly.

We aren't knowledgeable enough to know what this means. Like so many things in the NICU, the panoply of options is too vast to pinpoint an exact outcome. The best case scenario is that these latest episodes simply delay Clara's much anticipated homecoming. The worst case scenario is not readily available. A more likely option is that Clara won't come home in the next week or two (like we thought she would last week). When she does come home, Clara will likely require some sort of special apparatus or medication - whether it is a heart rate monitor, oxygen tank, breathing treatments, or simply orally administered diuretics - for her first few weeks/months away from the hospital. Clara had blood work and labs drawn today (as opposed to Monday) and we might have some more answers tomorrow.

From her unexpected delivery to testing positive for MRSA, Clara keeps us on our toes. However, regardless of what she encounters, Clara never stops fighting. Her strength makes it easier for us to stay optimistic. (She gets it from her mother . . . but you already knew that) 

On the other hand, we think Wilson is enjoying his first week away from the hospital. It is kind of like Wilson left home (the hospital) for college (our house) and is taking full advantage of his first taste of freedom. He doesn't care if he sleeps during the day and parties all night. He will drink too much out of a bottle before passing out and isn't a big fan of cleaning up after himself. In one week Wilson has pulled more all-nighters and puked more than most first semester freshman. He seems pretty content, but his roommates look forward to getting him on a more normal schedule.

We also found out at a doctor's appointment on Friday that Wilson' ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity is a condition which can result in blindness for preemies - Stevie Wonder was a preemie and lost his eyesight because of ROP) is self-correcting and has been downgraded to Level 1.  We were very concerned about Wilson's ROP and thrilled to find out it was getting better. This truly is GREAT news. Hopefully Clara will follow suit and her ROP will self-correct as well.  

Lastly, we want to take a moment to remember the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and thank the many men and women whose continued daily sacrifices keep us safe. On a personal level, we want to thank Captain David McGarvey (now "Uncle Dave") for his bravery and service. We have told most of our friends about the incredible work Dave does for our military, but probably haven't told him directly how proud we are of his dedication and accomplishments. Uncle Dave left in August for his fourth combat deployment without having the opportunity to meet Clara and Wilson. Dave, hopefully you have time to read this in your part of the world. Please know we are proud of you, we love you, and we can't wait for you to meet the kids when you get back.  

Dave sent us a diaper bag made from one of his uniforms.
We did everything we could to get Wilson to salute . . . this is as close as we got.

Her tube is tied

Today was a big day for Clara! In a seemingly miraculous turn of events, the doctors removed Clara's feeding tube. Clara will be closely monitored to make sure she tolerates feeding naturally or from a bottle, but if she can eat on her own without dropping her heart rate and oxygen, and still manage to gain weight, her stay in the NICU could be nearing completion. Immediately after typing that sentence a knot formed in our stomachs. Those are some big "ifs" and Clara will have to prove she is truly strong enough to come home. We don't want to get too excited, but it is hard not to at least be encouraged by her recent progress.

We think it's great that the nurses love to dress up Clara.

Clara took some other big steps (not literally) today as well. The doctors stopped Clara's regular breathing treatments and changed her schedule from every 4-6 hours to "as needed." If Clara is wheezing or showing problems with her oxygen she could go back to routine treatments, but we hope that won't be necessary. This is big news because we really don't want to have to administer pulmonary steroids every 4-6 hours when she is home.

Clara also quit receiving caffeine today. Caffeine is commonly given to extremely premature babies to reduce their risk of developmental disabilities and help with apnea. Knowing what Chris is like without coffee in the morning, we are thrilled Clara will complete her caffeine withdrawal in the hospital. Plus we won't have to worry about how much Red Bull to mix in her bottles.

These are all big changes, so we expect there to be some ups and downs. However, this news validates our belief that Clara looks like she feels better. It is also nice to know the doctors feel comfortable enough with Clara's condition to ask her to do more on her own. We pray she adapts easily to life without breathing assistance, feeding tubes, and caffeine and continues growing so she can join all of us at home.

While we certainly don't want to rush Clara home before she is ready, it will be nice to have both kids under the same roof. Nursing two kids in two different locations is not a routine to which we want to grow accustomed. Morgan had to work late tonight and as soon as he got home, Chris handed off Wilson so she could go nurse Clara. On her way out the door, Chris said "I feel like a cow on wheels." The bright side is once they're both home, Chris will be able to feel like cow without wheels.

I'm smarter than you think

We were afraid Clara might finally lodge a complaint about all the kudos and attention Wilson received for graduating from the NICU. Instead of getting mad, it looks like Clara is trying to get even. Last night the doctors removed Clara's nasal cannula and allowed her to breathe on her own for the first time. Clara has now gone over 24 hours without oxygen and is doing fairly well! There were a few occasions when her respiratory rate spiked or her oxygen rate dropped, but the good news was she self-recovered quickly each time.

While this shows great progress, we understand it doesn't equate to a quick ticket out of the NICU. Clara still has a long way to go and continues to receive daily treatments to ease the stress on her lungs. Below is picture taken today of Clara inhaling some of the pulmonary steroids she needs to make breathing easier. As you can see, her nasal cannula has been (at least temporarily) removed. Wilson had his air cannula taken away three times before the doctors felt comfortable leaving it off for good. (Just as a comparison, Wilson waited another 3-4 weeks to come home after ditching his oxygen support). Clara is in a little different situation because she weighs more and is older, but she has also had more problems with her lungs. All of this is really just a long-winded way to say we're really excited about this development and are cautiously optimistic Clara will join us at home by the end of September.

We also want Clara to know she is lucky Wilson is the first one home because he has to be the guinea pig for our initial missteps as parents. For example, tonight we gave Wilson his first bath. We had little to no clue what to do and Wilson decided not to be helpful. As soon as we laid Wilson down and got him just a little wet, he opened fire. Chris was startled by his counter-attack and instinctively backed away from his little water cannon. In that split second of indecision, Wilson changed angles and began firing toward the head of his tub. With total disregard for her own safety, Chris jumped in to prevent Wilson from dousing himself in friendly fire. Chris received a commendation medal for bravery while Morgan was content to take pictures and make jokes. Hey, we all have our strengths.  

This is a live action photo but we cropped it for decency

Happy Birthday!

We've never wanted anything as badly as we wanted our kids to come home. It is literally all we've thought about, prayed for, and worked toward since the day they were born (June 17th). However, nothing prepared us for the experience of walking Wilson out of Kosair Children's Hospital.

Ok, we can make fun of ourselves; we were a walking Kleenex commercial. The crying started as soon as we removed the heart rate monitors from Wilson's chest. It didn't stop until much later that night. We cried saying goodbye to the nurses, cried walking down the hall, shed tears in the car, and resumed crying at the house. Morgan tried to act tough but finally broke down while sitting with Wilson on the couch later that night . . . which of course got me going again. 

One of the best things about yesterday was the normalcy. We drove Wilson home as if he was made of antique hand-blown glass. After gushing over him being home, it wasn't long before we were asking each other "what do we do with him now?" We worried about whether Wilson ate enough, stressed over whether he burped enough, and woke up whenever he made a sound. Sometimes we woke up just to look at him. And maybe that was part of the reason yesterday was so joyous. After having our pregnancy cut short and spending months in the NICU, yesterday we felt like normal parents - clumsy, worried, exhausted, and happy. 

To top things off, yesterday was also my birthday. Without question, getting to bring Wilson home was the best birthday present of my life.  

Oh yes, we've already started making them do ridiculous things.
How mad do you think Wilson would be
if he knew we put that bow on his head?

We still have a long road in front us. Wilson already has two doctors appointments scheduled this week. We also have to deal with the logistics of having Clara in the NICU. I have to nurse Clara at least twice each day and can't take Wilson with me to the MRSA wing of the hospital. In a true "welcome to the deep end of the pool" moment, I left Morgan alone with Wilson for a few hours last night, this morning, and tonight. Hopefully it won't be too many more weeks until we have them both under the same roof. (Wilson and Morgan are both nodding theirs heads in agreement).

Thanks again to everyone for your love and support. We have never felt alone on this journey and that is the only reason we've been able to hold onto our sanity. We're not halfway there in the traditional sense, but all we need to do is get Clara home for our family to be complete.There is no way we could have reached this point without you all joining us for the ride. 

The Grateful Dad

Truckin', I'm a going home

Whoa, whoa baby back where I belong

Back home, sit down and patch my bones

and get back truckin' on

Somtimes the lights are shining on me

Other times I can barely see

Lately it occurred to me

What a long strange trip it's been