Happy New Year, farewell to the gtube!

Oh lord, what a crazy day it has been. After spending the afternoon at Egleston and spending the last hour making banana pudding, I'm a tired girl, but it's an important night for reflection, so I'll do my best. Today Will decided that his gtube was no longer necessary, so he pulled it most of the way out. I wasn't really sure what to do about it. He doesn't need it since we haven't used it in a couple of months, but I was afraid to take it out without a doctor telling me it was okay. The local ER didn't feel comfortable taking the case, so we headed to Egleston around noon. I had packed a bag since I figured we'd have to stay at least overnight. Thank goodness I was wrong! The doctor found that the balloon that holds the gtube in had a leak and deflated, causing the tube to come out. He said that he couldn't take it out and leave it out without getting clearance from Will's primary physician, but if we took it out, we could take him home and he'd heal fine. So I reached over and pulled that little sucker right out. They stuck a band-aid on it, told us to follow up with the pediatrician in two days and sent us on our merry way. Between my extensive knowledge of trachs and my expert gtube removal skills, I'm thinking about going to medical school! So we now have a baby that is completely free of hardware!!!! Yay!!!! I guess will just wanted to get all of his medical drama out of the way in 2008- and that is fine with us!
We're having my family and Matt's mom over tomorrow for a traditional New Year's lunch- blackeyed peas and collard greens, along with ham, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, and the aforementioned banana pudding. Got to get our luck and money!! I've been doing this for several years now, and I'm glad I didn't have to cancel.
I truly can't believe that another year has passed. 2008 was pretty much a blur. It was absolutely the hardest year of my life, but it was also the most rewarding. When our twin adventure really started in February, I had no idea what lay ahead. I'm glad I didn't. Had I known then what we were about to face, I would have walked out the door. I would have said, "God, there is no way I can handle this. The burden is too great." I remember when I met my friend, Jessica, in the NICU a couple of weeks after the twins were born. She had already been there for 5 months with her sweet Zach, and all I could think was, "how does she do it?" I couldn't figure out how she could possibly keep going that long with a smile on her face and an attitude of endless courage. Little did I know we were about to embark on a similar journey of months in the hospital with endless fear, frustration and worry. Yet somehow, we got through it. Jessica is still miles ahead of me when it comes to faith, grace under pressure, and the willingness to persevere in the face of incredible obstacles. But I learned a great deal this year. . I learned more about faith, hope, and the bottomless capacity for love over the past year than I ever knew. I learned that a mother can do things she never thought herself capable of for the love of her child. I learned the true value of friends and was reminded once again how wonderful people really are. It was a year that brought us so many challenges, and yet so much joy, and absolute miracles. I wouldn't trade it, but I'm hoping 2009 will be pretty uneventful!
So on the last night of 2008, I want to thank every single person who has ever checked our blog, prayed for our family, been the support system that got us through all of this. We could not have done it without you. Please know that you were an essential part of the journey that brought us to this night, happy and blessed with our three beautiful, wonderful, healthy children. May your next year be filled with more blessings and joy than you ever thought possible.