FREEDOM!!!!!

Today is the day we've waited for. If all goes according to plan we should be discharged late this morning. Thank you Lord! Today is Day 17 in the hospital and it's well time that we take our little baby home. I feel like we're getting an award after all of this work and stress. So when you get an award you have to thank all the people that made it possible... so here goes!

First and foremost, we thank and praise our Lord for his enduring faithfulness and mercy to us and to Lilee these past 2+ weeks. He has been nothing but a Rock for us to lean on throughout this incredibly trying time. The peace that He has given Erin and I truly has been inexplicable. Thank you Lord.

We also must thank this incredible hospital and all of its' wonderful staff! ALL of of our nurses on 3 East, when we got here, the CVICU where we were after surgery and in 3 West where we've been since Sunday night. AWESOME all of you, thank you for the bottom of our hearts. Also to the skilled and professional doctors that Lilee has been in the care of since her arrival; your talent and ability has been a life saving blessing to our little daughter for which we could never repay. The folks in admittance, patient relations, all those who cleaned our rooms and cooked our meals, thank you for making our stay as pleasant and as comfortable as possible.

Thank you to the hospital Chaplains who have lifted Lilee (and her parents in prayer throughout our stay. Also to "Uncle Don" our kind hearted friend at our hotel, thank you for your understanding and patience these last few weeks.

A special thank you to our social worker, Lindsey Evans! What an awesome young lady who has been a source of comfort and sanity in this often crazy place. She has been "heaven sent" to us and helped us with everything from hotels to stay in, food while we've been here and just stopping by to say hi to see how we were holding up! Thank you so much Lindsey, you've more than earned a special place in our family for years to come! :o)

We also must thank our families who have been by our sides throughout this entire ordeal. What a blessing you have been to us, I don't know how we could have done this without you! All our love and all of our thanks.

Lastly but definitely not least, to all of you faithful members of "Team Lilee" who have regularly checked her blog; your many prayers, thoughts and encouragement have been a been a constant blessing to Erin and I. I' m still amazed at how many people this little site has been able to reach and impact.

We will still continue to update her blog, perhaps not as frequently as in the hospital. :o) I'm pretty sure we're going to keep her around for a while so we'll have to keep you updated on her progress! :o) We truly love you all and can't thank you enough for all of your love and support over these past few weeks. The next time we write, it should be from home! Finally! Praise God!

Chris, Erin and "The Goin' Home Bean"