Madden was discharged from the hospital yesterday! I am so sorry for the delay in updating you all. You can imagine how excited we were to spend the day with him.

Thursday night, the doctors told me that Madden could most likely go home Friday if he was putting on weight during feeds, reporting a healthy pulse ox, and breathing relatively normally. Ben and I were really excited about that. Prior to moving out of the ICU, I started thinking we were gonna be there another week. But Madden truly turned a corner and started healing quickly! Buddy must've been super excited too because the kid would not go to sleep. I couldn't be mad though because he was just smiling and smiling. I would try to lay him down in his bed and his eyes would become wide, huge smile, and baby coos. After all that we've been though, even a baby refusing sleep at 1:00 am can't make you upset. Ben and I agreed that it's far better to have an energy charged, smiling baby than a lethargic, lifeless baby. 

Buddy finally went to bed around 2:00 a.m. and mom got a few hours of sleep. Thanks for praying for that. At 7:00 a.m. Madden proved he was putting on weight (I kept telling them that he's a good eater, but apparently they can't just take my word for it). His breathing and heart rate were steady as well. At 10:00 a.m. , "Blake" was given his last dosage of antibiotics and then we filled out paperwork and busted out of there! I can't describe how much the joy of the Lord was just bursting out of our baby. He was so obviously so happy. Life was restored to my baby. Praise the Lord.

We went out for a family walk along the coast and just appreciated being all together again. Then we had pizza for lunch and went home. Home! Where we were greeted by our labradoodle, Pippa. Buddy got lots of puppy kisses. My lovely family left Bible verses and gifts all over Madden's room. What a blessed baby we have. It's good to be home. All of us together again.

I can't thank you all enough for staying in touch during this trial. You reminded us of hope and God's goodness when we needed it most. 

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."    James 1:2-4

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."        Romans 8:28

Our God is good, and that's why I know that Madden's sickness was not from Him. God doesn't like to see his children hurting. And that's why He has allowed a way for us to be in His perfect heaven with him one day. There will be no sickness and no tears. We have hope and we believe that this life is only temporary while we wait to be with God in his perfect eternity. While we wait, we are blessed that God still wants goodness for us in this life that is filled with evil. Our God cared deeply for us when we cried out to him in this trial. And like Romans 8 says, God works all things together for good, for those who love him. 

Like James says, God can use these trials to make us stronger. I know this truth, but on New Years Eve, I told the Lord, "I can't do this anymore". In that moment of deep despair, God gave us the endurance we needed to keep being there for our son. While praying out of desperation, we got the news that Madden was going to be moved to Intensive Care where he would get the help that he needed. When we got to the ICU, there was a huge sense of peace over Ben and I. ICU doctors have probably never seen parents so excited that their kid was in the ICU. We just had such faith that this is where Madden was going to get better. And He did! 

Praise the Lord