Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

**Reid update from Dad**

Since things seem to constantly change, I'll try and give a brief recap of what has transpired since Reid's initial surgery on December 12th.

On Dec. 12, we came in for Reid's VEPTR surgery to insert a titanium rod from his rib to his spine to help correct his scoliosis.  All went well with that repair and it appeared that he was on his way to recovery.  On Dec. 13, Reid was moved out of the PICU to the general surgery floor.  On Dec 14, as Meredith was feeding Reid, she noticed that his belly was tight and distended.  He was also having a bit more difficulty breathing.  The thought was that maybe he was constipated and just needed some assistance to move things along.  They transported him back to the PICU that night.  On Dec. 15, doctors determined that Reid had a bowel obstruction, but they were unsure why.   They were going to take him for a CT scan until the surgeon looked at his x-Ray and determined that Reid had reherniated from his initial CDH repair and that a portion of his bowel was protruding though his diaphragm possibly causing the obstruction.  He scrapped the CT scan and scheduled emergency surgery that afternoon.

Reid went into surgery on Dec. 15 around 7:30 pm.  Since it was a Sunday night, the normal surgery waiting procedures were not in place, so we were left in the empty surgery waiting area with infrequent updates.  At around 8:45 pm, one of the nurses called and said that they had found the defect and were working on it. About an hour later, the surgeon came out in person to give us an update.  He said that they had found the defect and the obstruction, but that due to all of the adhesions from Reid's previous surgeries and because of his large liver, he was having difficulty pulling the bowel down.  He had started to make and incision where Reid's initial CDH surgery was, but realized he could not get around the liver.  So he made another incision where Reid had his Nissen/g tube surgery last year.  He was able to move some of Reid's bowel down, but he did not want to risk pulling on it and damaging it.  So he was going to make another incision a little bit higher up on Reid's side to try and push his intestines down.   That's the last we heard until about 2:30am on Dec. 16 when a nurse came out and said they were finishing up.  At around 3:30 am, the surgeon came out and explained all that he accomplished and that it appeared to be a success.  

They transported Reid back to the PICU for recovery, only this time, he was still intubated and on a ventilator.  They explained that this was to give him a little bit of a break respiratory wise while he healed.   He was doing well on the vent.  Well enough that on Thursday, Dec 19, they decided to extubate him.  Also, during this time he started spiking fevers.  At first, they thought it was adenovirus, then a staph infection from being intubated.  They also thought he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms from all if the narcotics he was on.  His cough and fevers progressively got worse and on Sat Dec 28, his right lung collapsed and he was reintubated again.  After a couple of days on a conventional vent, he went into respiratory failure and they decided to switch him to a VDR vent which acts as a precussor to loosen up the mucus in his chest.  They switched to the VDR early on Dec. 30.  This vent required him to be paralyzed, so they also placed him on a paralytic in addition to the sedation meds he was already on.  He is still on the VDR and still paralyzed.  They tried to switch back to the conventional vent today, but he did not tolerate the change, so they quickly switched him back to the VDR.  He's also had a couple of bronchoscopes the past few days to try to remove any mucus plugs that may be in his lungs.  The first was unsuccessful, but during the most recent they were able to clear his lungs a little bit.  Now, it's just a waiting game.  The docs seem to think that this is the result of a combination of 2 major surgeries in the span of a few days, his past history and pulmonary hypertension, and the adenovirus.  Almost like a perfect storm in a sense.  It's the same old story, two steps forward one step back, or sometimes two steps back.  For now, we continue to live at the hospital and support Reid every step of the way.  We are thankful for all the prayers, thoughts, support and strength that people continue to send us...we feel it and so does Reid.  He is one loved little boy and his tenacity inspires us everyday.

Pre-Op Success

Today Reid, my dad, and I schlepped into Philly in the snow for Reid's pre-op appointment for his upcoming surgery on Thursday.  After a necessary stop at Wawa for coffee and to give Reid his meds, we made it into the city unscathed by the snowstorm.  The morning started with an X-ray in which the technician positioned Reid in the most awkward positions.  He was a champ and let us stretch and bend him to take the necessary pictures of his spine.  We then met with his Orthopedic surgeon and nurse practitioner to talk logistics of the surgery and sign consent.  The nurse practitioner was very thorough in explaining the prep that needs to be completed at home, the actual procedure, and what to anticipate in terms of recovery.  She was very patient with my list of questions and alleviated some of my anxiety.  We then met with the Anesthesia team to review Reid's medical history and discuss the type of anesthesia he will be receiving.  The morning ended with bloodwork....unfortunately, Reid has had his blood taken so often, that he barely let out a cry today.  A few tears, but nothing a Spider-Man sticker couldn't take care of:)  All in all, pre-op was a success and we are ready to tackle surgery on Thursday.  We will find out the time of his surgery tomorrow night, but it will most likely be first thing in the morning.  If you remember, please send some love our way.  

Bryan and I would also like to say thank you to all of our friends and family who continue to show us support as we approach this next challenge.  Every gesture, no matter how big, does not go unnoticed and continues to give us strength.  

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come.  You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."  We will never give up hope.  For now, I will savor these snuggles.  

Reid's CDH journey continues...

When we first heard the news that Reid had Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), I did what any other frantic mom-to-be would do.  I scoured the internet and read every medical paper, blog, and message board I could find.  Although many people warn you not to look to the internet for answers, I found a sense of comfort in reading about other families' triumphs as well as their struggles related to the condition.  The overpowering theme that ran through all my blog reading was that no two CDH journeys are the same.  Some babies that had excellent chances of surviving didn't; and some, like Reid, who had very grim prognoses, survived.  After these kids overcame the initial obstacles of CDH, I read about a whole host of long-term issues associated with the condition that may or may not occur.  The hardest part of Reid's journey is not knowing what issues may arise and when they will rear their ugly head. Before I get into the frustrating news we recently received, let me bring you all up to date on the progress that Reid has made over the past year (always start with a positive, right?!).

Over the past year, Reid has made tremendous progress, both developmentally and medically.  He is such a determined, yet easy going little guy and has worked so hard to achieve every milestone that he has hit.  His therapists enjoy working with him because he puts forth effort in every session and moves on from frustration pretty quickly.  Medically, in November, 2012, Reid had eye surgery, a gastrostomy tube placed (no longer has the feeding tube from his nose to his stomach, it's now directly in his stomach), and a nissen fundoplication performed (his surgeon tied the upper part of his stomach around his esophagus to combat his severe reflux).  He recovered from surgery quite quickly and has thrived with the g-tube, gaining consistent weight.  This past spring, with the help of his dietitian, we switched him from a formula based diet to a blenderized diet.  We use a heavy duty blender to mix real food and nutrients that he would be receiving if he were eating orally- this switch has improved his coloring, weight gain, reflux symptoms, hair and nail growth, and overall activity level (he never stops moving!). Reid also has been slowly weaned from the supplemental oxygen he receives and currently is on a very small amount for 8 hours overnight.  It's a slow process, but we anticipate he will be oxygen free in the upcoming months.  Additionally, a few of his meds have changed, and we just successfully weaned him off of the diuretic that he had been on since his time in the NICU.  Most importantly, we, as a family, are finally beginning to feel like we have established a sense of normalcy.  My favorite parts of this past year have been having play dates (and not worrying about having to sanitize everything); going to story time, gym class, music class, and mommy and me class; playing at the beach with his cousin and friends (he is such a happy boy at the beach; aren't we all?!); celebrating his friends' birthdays; celebrating holidays as a family; and just watching him become a toddler and enjoying all of the small pleasures of life.

Two weeks ago, we had a marathon of follow-up appointments at CHOP with the majority of his specialists. Although we were pleased with some of the results, we could have done without the scare that he may have reherniated (some of his specialists thought they heard bowel sounds in his chest; however, his surgeon reviewed his x-ray and believes his patch is still intact and his bowels are just sitting closely under it).  After moving on from this news, we were hit with a real concern regarding the progression of Reid's scoliosis.  His orthopedic surgeon measures the progression of his spinal curve by comparing previous x-rays to his current x-ray, and Reid progressed from 38 degrees in March, 2013, to 64 degrees in October, 2013.  This news was devastating...his doctor said if he continues to grow the way he is growing, his lung will be severely compromised.  Therefore, action needs to be taken, like yesterday! Because Reid is so young, he isn't a candidate for the spinal fusion surgery, because if the rods fuse together, growth will halt and there is no going back.  So, the alternative is VEPTR (vertical expandable prosthetic titanium rod) surgery.  Essentially, Reid will have an initial surgery to implant the titanium device.  Then he will need subsequent surgeries every 6 months to make expansions.  This is obviously not the news we wanted to receive, but we knew we had been delaying the inevitable...we just hoped we could buy another few years before starting this set of surgeries.  Reid's orthopedic surgeon wants to move quickly to delay any further progression, so the initial surgery has been scheduled for December 12th.  We've been advised that it will be at least a 5-day stay at CHOP, but could potentially be longer due to the complexity of Reid's health issues.  My hope is that we are home by Christmas...if not, I'm sure we'll find a fun way to celebrate in the hospital.  Just when we start to think we can breathe, the CDH journey throws us a curve and continues to keep us on our toes.

I'll leave you with a few pics from this past year...we've sure taken our share (Reid is so sick of the camera)!  We feel like we exhausted the prayers of our friends and families during those first few rough months after Reid's birth, but if you remember, please say a prayer or send a positive thought on December 12th...I know I could use the strength:)

It takes a village...

I always heard this saying and understood it's meaning, but never has it applied more to my life than now.  To be honest, at the beginning of this journey, it was difficult for me to accept help from others.  Looking back, I think that I wanted to feel like I had everything under control even if I knew deep down that everything was completely out of my control.  After slowly coming to the painful realization that Bryan and I could not get through this on our own, we were able to let people in.  In November, we visited our best friends and their adorable daughter in Northern Virginia, and they pitched the idea of throwing a benefit.  After a few tears (of course, on my part), Bryan and I put aside our pride and accepted their gracious offer.  Little did we know what an amazing event this small idea would turn into.  Five months later, our friends, family, friends of our family and friends, and mere strangers joined us for a night to celebrate the most important person in our life, Reid.  This night was like nothing I've ever experienced, every last detail was thought through (from the flowers, the wristbands, the expertly printed program outlining the auction items, the colors of the balloons, the awesome logo, the placement of the auction items and tables, and the incredible slideshow that highlighted Reid's progress).  Needless to say, the event went off without a hitch.  I cannot even begin to imagine the time and energy spent planning such a fantastic benefit, and I cry thinking that this was all done for the love of our son (tears flowing right now).  To say "thank you" doesn't begin to capture how appreciative Bryan and I and our families are for all of the support and love we felt on April 21st.  Throughout this experience, we've learned the true meaning of "it takes a village," and Reid is thriving because of his village.  Our sincerest gratitude for everything that went into planning such an amazing event and for everyone who came out or contributed to celebrating Reid's life...we will forever be thankful.

Long overdue...

I'm a very goal oriented person and throughout Reid's NICU stay, my main goal was to bring him home (and stay sane throughout the process)!  After this goal was attained, it took some time to settle into life at home and I completely forgot that people may still be interested in following his progress.  So, for those of you still interested in Reid's journey, here are some highlights:)

The first week home was quite an adjustment for all of us (Reid, me, Bryan, my parents, my grandfather, and of course, George Michael).  Bryan was able to take off a few days to help out, but reality quickly set in once he returned to work.  After the first week, I remember thinking, "Oh my god, how am I ever going to do this?!"  I felt so constricted already...we are pretty much on house arrest until the end of flu season and even within the house, it's not the easiest to transport the little guy.  To bring Reid from his room to the first floor, I have to unhook him from his pulse ox monitor, take the monitor downstairs, fill his portable oxygen tank, unhook him from his primary tank and hook him to his portable tank...something I now have the hang of and can do pretty effortlessly.  Needless to say, I can't just pick him up to run downstairs and throw a load of laundry in or put him in his carseat to run a quick errand or pick up my favorite cup of WaWa coffee.  At the end of the day, Bryan would come home from work and I would be changed into my gym clothes ready to hightail it out of the house to get the golden sixty minutes to myself with my headphones and the eliptical.  Luckily, now that we have a routine down, I feel much more in control.  Reid settled into a great schedule of taking three naps throughout the day (although they're pretty short) and going down for the night between 6-7, which I obviously can't complain about.  His naps coincide with his feedings which works out well because it's easiest to do his feeds in his room with his feeding pump so that we don't have to use the portable pump too much.  In between naps, we play and read books on the floor of his room, play on his playmat downstairs, go for walks (the recent warm weather has been a godsend), and take baths every other night.  He's such a content boy and is becoming more and more animated and verbal each day.  He talks up a storm (sometimes it's more like yelling), especially right before bed....apparently he has lots of stories to tell!

Reading on his favorite cow pillow

Smiley boy

Playing with dad

We've been back to CHOP two times since we've been home and it felt a little strange to go there for appointments and not to spend the day in the NICU (although we definitely squeezed in a NICU visit to see some favorites).  The days were jam-packed with specialist appointments and it was nice to see all of his doctors on the same day so that we don't have to make numerous trips into the city.  The overall consensus is that he is gaining weight pretty darn good at home...he most recently weighed in at 14 lbs. 6 oz (two weeks ago)!  Not too shabby for starting out around 3 lbs.!  The Pulmonologist was happy with how clear his lungs sound, but no clear plan to wean the oxygen just yet.  No rush, right?!  His surgeon looked at his scar (which is fading quite nicely) and did a physical check for scoliosis, which is commonly associated with CDH.  Just from feeling his spine, she said that he doesn't have obvious signs of scoliosis at this point, but he will continue to be monitored.  In the area of nutrition, he's still being fed exclusively through his NG tube, which he developed the skill of pulling out on an every other day basis until we finagled a tape job that keeps it secure.  We were debating wrapping duct tape around his head...last resort:)  Ugh...sticking a tube down your child's throat doesn't get easier with practice, but Bryan and I work pretty good as a team and we are becoming more efficient at it (even if I end up in tears).  Reid is still experiencing some pretty severe reflux, so his dietitian tweaked his formula concoction and added microlipids.  So far, the new formula recipe has alleviated some of his vomiting, but hasn't eliminated it altogether. I don't know who's happier, Reid or George Michael (unfortunately, George Michael's back was sometimes the target of Reid's spit-up).  The dog has definitely become stinkier since Reid's homecoming:)  

GM in the line of fire!

Finally got the NG tube secured...thank you white tape:)

Developmentally, we are working hard to make up lost ground...being a preemie and spending 6 1/2 months in the hospital isn't the most ideal way to start out, but we accept the challenge:)  I had heard accolades about Chester County's Early Intervention Program before Reid was born and so far, they have lived up to their name.  I had Reid assessed the week we were discharged from the hospital and he qualified for weekly physical therapy and monthly speech therapy.  Physical Therapy services have been provided for three weeks and he has made noticeable progress already.  I look forward to our sessions and the therapist is great about giving us a variety of exercises to work on throughout the week...think baby boot camp:)  We've recently introduced a yoga ball and baby surf board into the mix which is fun for mom and Reid.  At this point, Speech Therapy is working on preventing oral aversions which requires me to play in Reid's mouth with my fingers...luckily, he doesn't have teeth yet because he has a strong bite!  Although sometimes I feel like progress is slow, every little gain amazes me when I think back to Reid's rocky beginning.  One thing I've learned is to never doubt this little guy.  For now, we persevere...

Working on sitting

Tummy time on the bed...change of scenery

Home Sweet Home!

Well, this is the post that I've been waiting 6 1/2 tiring months to write. Since the day Reid was born, my 93 year old grandfather, who also lives with my parents, has not gone a day without asking us, "How's the baby doing?" I always tried to keep my composure when responding, but there were days at the beginning when the utterance of this simple question would bring tears to my eyes...how do you tell someone who doesn't understand the gravity of the situation that the baby may not make it and that he may never meet him? After Christmas, he added, "When are you bringing the baby home?" to his daily repertoire of questions. Not knowing ourselves when the discharge date would be, I subjectively picked a memorable date for him and replied, "Hopefully, by your 93rd birthday," which was February 16th. Well, I was five days off...Reid was discharged from CHOP on February 21st and was able to meet his great-grandfather for the first time, a day that I will never forget.

For the past month, we've known that the surgical team was aiming to discharge Reid on February 21st, but we've also been in the NICU long enough to know that discharges do not always go as planned. So, of course, Reid's discharge would not be complete without a slight snafu. Even though we had a month's notice of discharge, the few days leading up to the actual day were a whirlwind of meetings with the home nursing company (we were approved for 12 hours per day of home nursing care), the discharge coordinator, and the home care company (which supplies all of the medical equipment to the house). In order to make discharge a reality, Reid's dedicated nurse practitioner, who admitted him on the day of his birth and has been his primary NP throughout his NICU stay, worked diligently to complete his discharge paperwork. It may have taken her the whole month, but she was able to succinctly summarize his complex medical background into 12 short pages...no small feat. Everything was in order and discharge was supposed to be easy...we arrive, pack up Reid, say our goodbyes, and we're on our way.

Enter snafu... on the morning of discharge, the home care company dropped off Reid's liquid oxygen tank, which resembles R2D2, and trained us on how to use it and how to fill his portable tanks. Bryan and I then packed up the stroller and headed into Philly...a trip that I could make with my eyes closed, and for those of you that know me, know that I am not the best with directions:) We arrived at CHOP and in talking with the discharge coordinator, we realized that the home care company couldn't drop off the feeding pump and supplies until after 6 in the evening. This meant that we had to stay at the hospital until after Reid received his 3 o'clock feeding...making departure time more like 4:30. Although this news was initially disappointing, it actually worked out for the best...we were treated to a great lunch at our favorite local restaurant (thanks Rich and Donna) and were able to say our goodbyes without being rushed. After lots of hugs and tears on my part, we donned Reid in his coming home attire, carefully placed him in his car seat, and said our last goodbye to his amazing nurse...a nurse that has had him a lot through his good days and bad and truly loves him. As we walked out of the wing that we called home for the past 203 days, it was bittersweet. We ran a gamut of emotions as our hospital bands were cut from our wrists and we walked through the NICU doors for the very last time. We were free...I knew that I should feel happy, and I did, but I also felt an overwhelming sense of sadness.

 

Thankfully, the car ride home was pretty uneventful and we miraculously missed rush hour. We amateurishly maneuvered all of Reid's equipment into the car and somehow stuffed all of the goodies that the nurses sent us home with in the trunk...think diapers, bottles, and medical supplies galore. I took the wheel (control freak that I am) and Bryan sat in the back next to the little man. Bryan gave me minute by minute updates as I fought away tears and cautiously navigated our way home. This may have been the first time in my life that I consciously made sure that I was not exceeding the speed limit or yelling expletives at the crazy drivers on 95. Reid sat quietly, glanced out the window, and fell asleep within 10 minutes of our departure. We made it home in one piece and Reid calmly adjusted to his new environment, accepted the doggy's kisses, and won over his great-grandfather's heart. Shortly after arriving, the flurry of people started to arrive- the coordinator from the home nursing company, the nurse from CHOP home care, and our night nurse. Thankfully, Reid continued his nighttime routine of falling asleep slightly after 6 and we were able to work out the nursing logistics and complete the necessary paperwork. Needless to say, after the physically and emotionally draining day, Bryan and I were exhausted and starving. Thanks to my second set of parents, we had a yummy fajita dinner waiting for us:) Reid had a successful first night and slept his normal 12 hours; however,unfortunately, Mom and Dad cannot say the same thing.
 













Highlights from the first week at home:
Bryan, George Michael, Reid, and I went for our first "family" walk around the block. Reid appeared completely content with the sun beating down on his face and a bit surprised by the cool breeze that blew by. We made it about halfway around the block and he was out like a light...eyes closed with a slight smile on his face...priceless!

I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but we made it to Reid's first pediatrician appointment and it wasn't as stressful as I anticipated. Luckily, my mom took off work that morning and helped me transport the little guy...he sure comes with a lot of accessories:) My mom dropped us off at the front door, and I walked into the well visit waiting room equipped with an oxygen tank, two monitors, a diaper bag, stroller, and baby. I changed Reid immediately before leaving for the doctors and thought that I may make it through the appointment without having to change a diaper...wishful thinking. He pooped as we were sitting in the waiting room...awesome! When I took him back to the patient room, the nurse instructed me to get him naked so that she could weigh him, take his head circumference, and get a length. I did my best to appear like I had everything under control and somehow got him out of his poopy diaper and naked without a cry or without the monitors beeping off. Good news- little guy gained 4 ounces since his last weight at CHOP. Bad news, they had to give him his flu vaccine and he later developed a slight fever, but nothing that a one time dose of Tylenol couldn't fix.

We are enjoying doing "normal" baby things with Reid and spending time as a little family. George Michael has surprisingly been very gentle and loves licking Reid's hands and feet; however, sometimes he confuses Reid's toys with his own...who can blame him, baby toys and dog toys look very similar. We're looking forward to settling in as a family and couldn't be more thankful for the gift that Reid has become.

 

"Baby Steps"...

seems to be the motto of this journey and quite fittingly the title of the NICU's discharge checklist.  About a month ago, Bryan asked the attending neonatologist, "Hypothetically speaking, if you were to give a date for discharge, what would it be?"  Not expecting a straight answer, the doctor pondered the question, did some quick math, and replied, "February 21st."  In asking how she came up with the date, she said, "Very subjectively."  We took the answer with a grain of salt; however, it has put some fire under our *** to get things organized at home for the transition.  It seems like the surgical team is doing everything in their power to make the February 21st goal a reality.  In doing so, we've had the pleasure of checking things off our "Baby Steps" discharge checklist...doesn't it always feel so great to check things off a list, no matter what kind of list it is?!  We've taken baby CPR (back in September thanks to a very hopeful and ambitious nurse:)), taken our feeding tube class, both Bryan and I have placed the feeding tube, and we've selected our pediatrician and scheduled our first appointment.  Last few things to check off include being trained in drawing up Reid's meds, mixing his fortified formula, and completing the car seat test (basically, Reid will have to sit in his car seat for the length of time of our car ride home from CHOP, and they will monitor his vitals and oxygen saturation levels throughout).

Mom's tube placement- nice tape job, Dad!

No feeding tube and you can see my serious scar:)

  



Let's see...changes since the last post.  In the last week and a half, we've been tying up loose ends, and I feel like Reid has seen every specialist there is to see.  He had an MRI of his brain to gather baseline data, as well as monitor any brain bleeds which are very common with premature babies.  To complete the MRI, the team first talked about putting Reid in an immobilizer to contain his movement...it sounded like an inflatable blanket.  However, they quickly decided against it because of how active Reid has become.  Therefore, they had to sedate him, which meant placing an IV and giving him rescue doses of the sedation medication...thankfully, they were one time doses, and we didn't have to worry about weaning him from the meds again.  While he was sedated, the team capitalized on the moment and was able to finish his hearing test (which required him to be sleeping)...he passed with flying colors, but they will continue to monitor him because hearing loss is common with CDH babies.  Once he woke up from his sedation, he tried so hard to be his active, curious self again; however, he seemed a bit groggy- like he had one too many stiff drinks.

Reid pre-MRI in his cap getting him nice and toasty

Reid post-MRI coming out of his sedation

In the area of feeding, Reid continues to gain well...he is definitely filling out and finally starting to show some baby fat (it only took 6 months)!  They successfully switched him from fortified donor breast milk to fortified Gerber Good Start for the transition home.  He seems to be tolerating the formula in his stomach, but he has yet to take it in a bottle...I'm assuming that his sticking his tongue out and yelling at the bottle means he doesn't like the taste!  Unfortunately, I think eating is always going to be a battle....hopefully, it will get easier when we can transition to baby food. They have been able to condense his feeds during the day to over an hour with a two hour break in between.  At night, he receives continuous feeds to try and help beef him up and make up for some of the calories that he burns off during the day.

I'd rather eat my toy than your stupid bottle, Mom!

In preparation for Reid's homecoming, the team made an exception to the stroller policy to allow Reid daily walks  in the stroller around the NICU.  Reid's world is ever-expanding, and he remained a serious baby throughout his first stroller ride, taking in all of the new sights, sounds, and smells.  Although I must say, the walk was more like a stroll- I think we stopped about every 5 feet to greet a nurse, nurse practitioner, or neonatologist that has worked with Reid at one point or another.  If all goes well, we should be able to take Reid to CHOP's atrium by the end of the week...not sure what he's going to think of the windows, music, and larger than life mobile hanging from the atrium ceiling.  Unfortunately, nothing can prepare him for the playful, lick-happy dog waiting for him at home:)

Getting used to it:)

First stroller ride...serious baby!

  











Barring any complications, I'm hoping that the next update title is "Home Sweet Home!"