Glaspey Family: Let's blow this popsicle stand!

So as I was sitting around...watching the boy eat his bottles and beat the odds in so many ways, a doctor strolls up and checks Maddex's books. Super common practice throughout the day. She's flipping pages, asking the normal questions of me and pauses. Looks at the books again, pauses. Looks at me, pauses...then says those magical words I was waiting to hear...

Let's do his car seat test today.

I was speechless. It was real, he might actually come home if he passes this one last test.

So I cried.

It was awesome.

Last picture of his little world before the big test.

Ya, he had no clue of course but I'm sure he wondered why I was pacing back and forth, waiting for him to wake up. (I may have poked a couple times too hee hee)

Okay so I've made it through some serious stuff in my life both by choice and otherwise. This, however, was the single most stressful thing I've been through yet. In fact, I was so stressed out during his hour long car seat test...the nurses kicked me out. Yep. They told me to walk the tunnels of HSC and not to come back until the test was over. So I did.

Little info, the car seat test is the last test a baby has to pass before they are allowed to go home. This means they are put in their car seats for the duration of time it would normally take you to drive home from the hospital. Course we live a pretty good stretch away so Maddex's test was longer than most. You can see in the pictures he's strapped into his seat, placed on the floor while being hooked up to all the monitors in the world (well felt like that at the time) and there he sits. Waiting for something to happen. HORRIBLE TEST. I can see why its needed but its still HORRIBLE!!!

I stood outside the nursery and stared at the doors. I was so scared to go in and find out the results. If he didn't pass it meant they wouldn't re-test for another 72 hours. That's a long time when you've already done three weeks.

He passed.

I cried.

The nurses cried.

In fact some of the nurses asked to be called if he passed at home, off shift because they had become so attached to Maddex.

I can't describe the feeling. If you've been there, you know. Its amazing.

My folks happened by for a visit before they were heading out of town. Well what a fantastic surprise we laid on them when they walked in and we were packing up. Nana and Papa helped with the clean up while Kelly went and passed the car seat test in our vehicle. Glad they were there...I needed someone to calm me down and help!

So this is the first time we got to put our own clothes on our own little baby. We had been told about this amazing baby boutique, Itty Bitty Baby, in Winnipeg by our favorite nurse Sue. Well we of course went there and bought Maddex's going home outfit and while we were there Kelly thought it fitting to buy a little something for the Nursery to say thank you from Maddex. Well Kelly bought bags and bags and bags of clothes, hats etc for the nurses and boy were they amazed. They saved our son so he wanted all the future babies to have some new threads to grow and heal in! He's such a great man.

This outfit was for 5lb babies. Nuts hey...

Maddex's fancy new car seat. We actually had a car seat and stroller that we bought from a friend but we ended up "paying it forward" so to speak. Turns out that while I was staying at the Ronald McDonald House so was another Mom from the same nursery. Maddex and her daughter had beds close together. Long story short, she was on her own, no money, no family but happy as can be because she had a beautiful daughter to love. She was still in her teens, from Northern Manitoba and had a long road ahead of her until she could take her daughter home. So we arranged for our set to find a new home with her without her knowing where it came from. Worked out well in the end as Maddex needed a specific type of seat that had removable pads etc for tiny babies.