Happy Coming Home Day James! Four years ago today we brought our sweet little baby boy home from the NICU.

I cried, a lot. Wasn’t prepared for the crazy, conflicting emotions bringing our munchkin home would cause.

It snowed, quite a bit considering we lived in Dallas.

My mom drove through downtown by herself, in the snow. Pretty huge accomplishment. That was years before she lived in Dallas.

I rode in the backseat with James, watching him the entire time. Thank goodness. A couple of miles down the road he didn’t look quite as comfortable and I discovered his oxygen tube had come disconnected from the tank. First minor panic and we weren’t even home yet.

Grandma fed him his first bottle at home. Just enough time before she had to fly back to Vegas.

Andy and I stood at the crib and just watched him. He was all ours now. Second minor panic as the reality of no doctors, no nurses, and no RT’s sank in.

Butterflies and pure joy as we made our way out of the hospital with James.

He was not a fan!

The defensive posture he slept in for many days as he adjusted to life outside the NICU.

Sleepy boy and his first bottle at home.

One of my favorites!

It was a day to be thankful and grateful for absolutely everything. We were then, and we still are today. Thankful, grateful, and so very happy.