We are finally home (hopefully for good this time)

We got home from Kosair late yesterday evening. Aiden is still not eating consistently, but he will take a few ounces here and there when he feels like it. They felt that based on his input v. output measured while in the hospital, that he was okay to be discharged.
The bigger news is that we have removed one of Aiden's arm casts to reveal his brand spankin' new fingers. Over the past couple of days, we noticed that his left arm cast had a very pungent odor that continued to get worse. It smelled different from the other casts.We had spoken to Dr. Fearon and his nurse Cindy and they told us that we could go ahead and remove it at our discretion if we felt that the odor was bad enough that it might indicate a problem/infection. I didn't feel comfortable making that decision, so while we were at Kosair, I asked to have an orthopedic doctor come visit to get his opinion. As we were waiting to be discharged, the orthopedic resident came by and I filled him in on the situation. He said that he thought it was necessary to remove the cast to check for infection and be on the safe side.

I was panicked. I mean I know Dr. Fearon said it was okay to go ahead and do it (2 weeks early), but I was nervous, excited, and worried all in one. I wasn't sure if I was prepared. He spoke to his boss and he agreed. I had Dr. Fearon on the phone as he rolled the cast off his tiny little arm. He laid there calm as could be.
I won't post pictures of his hand for the mere fact that it looks VERY rough (which can be expected after surgery of this type and being bandaged and casted for 8 days). But let me assure you that the moment I saw his hand exposed and he wiggled his little fingers, I was a bigger mess than the pile of bandages left on the bed next to him.
My little boy has fingers. Amazing.
By the time I got him home, he was staring at them with as much awe as we were. He immediately used his hand to bat at toys and rub his eyes. All I can say is that it must be such a relief for him to be able to open and close his little hand after all of this time.
I am very excited to show everyone his new hand, and will share pictures on this site once it has healed a little more. But if you are anxious to see it and don't have a weak stomach, please email me separately and I will be happy to send some of the pictures to you.The remaining 3 casts are set to come off a week from Tuesday.
Oh, and the hand had no signs of infection. :)

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