Sarah updated you’all on the fact that we’re home! We are thrilled. To backtrack a bit, Thursday morning I got a call at the hotel room. I was there because I had come down with a slight cold and was keeping my distance from Abigail. I still am, as well as wearing a mask when I do need to be close to her, but I digress. My Mom, who was with Melanie, called and gave me the good news. Melanie had wanted to call but she couldn’t get out to the phone soon enough and wanted me to have as much time as possible to pack out of our room.
Since it was already a given that Abigail would be discharged with a monitor, upon review the only reason she was still there was their desire to see her gain weight. Wednesday evening when she was weighed she had gained 10 grams (30 grams to an ounce). When the nurse practitioner reviewed her chart Thursday morning the 10 gram gain must have satisfied their “weight gain” requirement and so once again, Melanie was shocked with a “Want to go home?” question. (Her previous “want to go home?” was by the doctor that released her from the hospital during the pre-term labor challenges.)
So, I packed out of our room and loaded up the car. It took awhile to get the paperwork signed and get Abigail loaded up. But, within a few hours we were happily on our way home.
We are settling into a routine at home. It is wonderful being at our very own house – a place we haven’t called home for so long. Abigail is doing well. She continues to be a good nurser, something we are extremely grateful for. Her billirubin numbers are still somewhat elevated, and she’s technically still a preemie. But, all in all she’s doing great.
Melanie is well as well. She is spending her time feeding Abigail, resting, and eating – that’s about all she’s allowed to, or feels up to, do(ing). She has a great attitude and is loving caring for little Abigail. Melanie had dreamed of having her own children for years. Susannah Joy was God’s first answer to the prayer of her (and our) heart(s), and Abigail Hope is His second answer. With Abigail, we’re getting to be active parents and each loving our role.
I’m hoping to be over this cold quickly so I can get rid of the mask and begin holding/caring for Abigail again. I’m afraid I’m going to lose my status as “professional diaper changer” which I’d earned in the hospital. Then again, I suspect there will be plenty of time to work back into that in the coming months.
Thank you for praying for and loving Abigail. Many of you have walked through these difficult seasons with us – thank you! There were so many times in this pregnancy that we were tempted to despair, wondering what the outcome would be. We sought to trust God and not give into our fears. We prayed that God would guide us, that He would make His way so clear we couldn’t miss it. And He has. I sit here marveling that as I type this, I’m sitting in my own house, while Abigail and Melanie are on the floor upstairs. Abigail is getting some tummy time and Melanie is laying next to her watching her. The trauma of pre-term labor is over, the c-section past, the NICU behind us, living 40 miles from home done! Amazing! Are we beyond troubles and fear – no. But, we are excited to be in this phase of caring for Abigail. God has proven Himself more than faithful, and we can rest in that.
Nathan
Sooo good to hear from you and hear such a wonderful update! We are rejoicing with you and I still daily shed tears as I pray for you as I’ve done for so long and just praise the Lord for His goodness!
Abigail is so very pretty…and yes Nathan, don’t worry, I’m absolutely sure you will have plenty of diaper changing opportunities. 🙂
Melanie, I am just rejoicing and thanking the Lord for bringing you through this time as you continued to trust and bring glory to His name. I’m so glad nursing is going well and I will continue to pray for you all each day as you care for and bring up little Abigail Hope for Jesus.
We love you all!
love,
Jaynee (for the family 🙂 )
Praise the Lord!
Melanie’s happiness is just oozing through the screen!
Motherhood suits her well :-).
Nathan and Melanie, your faith in God’s goodness is truly inspiring and I know it is also precious to our Father.
I will continue to pray for your sweet family.
Such a precious angel!!!! We are praising the Lord with you that you are able to be back at home. Little Abigail looks as though she is smiling in the last picture…she is such an answer to your prayers!! God bless you all and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Blessings!
It just cheers my heart to see Abigail and her Mom. They look so sweet together. Your daughter is very cute, as you already know. Cherish these moments, they do go by quickly.
We rejoice with you in the Lord.
The S. family
We are rejoicing with you and continue to pray that Melanie fully recovers, Abigail continues to grow and be healthy and that you as a family continue to walk, with joy, the path God has for you! God bless you!
Abigail is soooooo beautiful!!! I am so very thankful ya’ll are home TOGETHER!!! How wonderful, i so know that feeling, it makes you so thankful for the simple gift of being together at home!!!! Praising the Lord of Lord’s with you.
What beautiful pictures! Congratulations and many blessings to your wonderful family-
garnet
All praise goes to our wonderful heavenly Father!!! He has blessed you with this adorable little girl and He has put her into the perfect family.
We all know you will raise her to serve her loving God.
Enjoy your new life and well done.
Mary
Thanks for the update. Amazed to see what God has done and how He’s answered so many prayers.
Thank you so much for the updates and pictures! I feel like I know you as I have fervently prayed for the results as they are now. As a mother of six I know how quickly these early days and weeks go by so enjoy every moment. My prayers will continue. Your family has been a blessing to me. Abigail is a very blessed little girl!
Our first child passed away soon after his birth (he weighed a little under two pounds).
The following year, after a stressful pregnancy, his sister was born. Today she is thirty years old and the mother of four. A brother followed (surprise!) twelve years later.
God is good.
I’ve been praying for you. I will continue. 🙂
Amen. May God continue to bless you. I will keep you in prayer. (I hope that cold soon passes.) Thank you for the pictures – she is so beautiful.
Nathan and Melanie,
God bless baby Abigail and the both of you too. You guys have had more than your fair share of problems these past 2 years. We have prayed for you guys daily. I can’t tell you what a wonderful blessing of watching and feeling your pains have been to us. You all have taught us so much. You faith in God is just amazing. I thank God for blessing you so soon with baby Abigail after your loss of Susana. I am a 36 year old mom to 9. Five of my babies all had their start in nicu for all different crazy reasons. We are blessed they are all healthy today.The Nicu and hospital stay and seeing the hospital as a “melting pot” is sooo true.I pray people will pray about that comment you left on your blog too.
God bless the three of you. Melanie take it very easy. Nathan wearing a mask is a good thing to do for now.I look forward to more updates.
Love and prayers, Mrs. Sonja H.
I am so glad that you are all home. Abigail is beautiful.
abigail is so beautiful and melaine is simply radient in her role as mommy–she looks so natual and so beautiful holding her little girl. praising god for his blessings.
Nathan and Melanie,
My heart is singing for you! Abigail really is quite beautiful! I’m thankful to God for His answered prayers, that sweet little girl is such a gift and you both are inspiring.
Enjoy being Abigail’s Mommy and Daddy!
A beautiful mama and baby! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
Rest and enjoy,
Theresa
Oh the joy of a new baby, especially the first baby brought home from the hospital…there is no greater blessing from the Lord. Enjoy each moment, as you are!
Many blessings on your new family~
~C
Beautiful pictures! Hope you all get plenty of rest.
Continued prayers,
Sara and Family
Praise the Lord!!! We are so thankful to hear it. We will continue to pray for health, strength and growth. Thanks for keeping us posted! Your daughter is absolutely gorgeous, we pray God’s richest blessings on you all!
Love in Christ,
The Rs
Oh, praise the Lord for His goodness! Abigail is beautiful! We rejoice with you and will pray that the Lord would bring good health for you all. What blessings are children are!
In Christ,
The T. family
I can do nothing but stand amazed at God’s handiwork. There is none worthy of praise, but the Lord Jesus Christ. God is Marvellous. Praise Him. We can see His work all around us, but some things stand out above the rest.
All to Jesus,
Kevin, Kara and family
I am so happy to see that you are home!! Thanks so much for the beautiful pictures! Miss Abigail is beautiful…just like her Mama!
Oh, my heart is just so OVERJOYED for you both. Once again, Melanie looks so happy and radiant.
God be praised!!
What a wonderful post to read! Once again, I’m so thankful to read baby Abigail is home with her mommy and daddy. 🙂 You both must be overjoyed! Continuing to keep you all in prayers. God is good!
So thankful to hear you are home & recovering!!
Praising God with you as you settle into life at home with Abigail.
The W. Family
Nathan and Melanie
My heart is so full and overflowing for you! The Lord has truly been gracious to you and you have been faithful to Him. I always remember your anniversary because it was on Australia Day. Hard to believe 6 years has passed already!
Anyway, congratulations on bringing little Abigail Hope home. I know you are truly overjoyed.
In Him
Meredith in Australia (from the old Moms/MOTHboard)
My eyes are blurred with tears as I write this. I mourned with you the loss of your first baby girl, and I am overjoyed to celebrate with you the arrival of your second. I know how healing it is to have and to hold a baby in your arms after losing one. I will continue to pray for your family as you bask in the beauty that is Abigail.
In His love,
Michelle
God is so good! I have been following your family since last year when I learned about Susannah Joy. Her song runs through my mind when I think of your family and then was a name I had on our “list” when expecting our sixth baby. Turned out he was a boy though 🙂 I am so thankful to see you home as a family. Your testimony of God’s faithfulness has been so encouraging. My cousin’s baby was born and died last week and it reminded me once again of your story and how through their pain they still rest in God’s goodness and sovereign plan.
On another note — I also want to say that the pictures you take are beautiful! I saw you carrying your camera on one of the photos and wondered what kind you have. Is it digital or an SLR?
Thanks for sharing your life with us!
My heart wells up in thanksgiving to our Lord for this sweet, beautiful miracle you are getting to enjoy. He’s taken your sorrow and turned it to joy.
Praying with you still…
Keep up the great work… daddy is doing good staying protective of his ladies…
Cher
How is everyone in the Maxwell household? Hope you all are getting settle in and used to your new routine. Melanie I hope you are recovering and feeling well.
For some reason, I don’t know why, I thought so strongly about Susannah Joy today. I think she must be so happy for her mommy and daddy and her new sister.
May God continue to give you strength and love as you start your joyful journey with Abigail!
Peace.
Your daughter is so beautiful. May God give you strength and wisdom in raising her to know and love the Lord. God bless your family.
In Christ,
The P. Family
I’m rejoicing with you in your great news! You will be in my prayers. May you enjoy a wonderful time of rest and His loving care for all of you.
What a beautiful baby! My, she looks sooo precious! I am so very happy for the two of you to have a little gift joy from heaven in the home. Wow, the Lord is so good, isn’t he?! What an amazing gift babies are.
In my prayers…Vanessa
She is such a beautiful little girl! The Lord is so faithful! He has blessed you so much! I praise His name! Cindy
Thank you so much for sharing these precious photos! Melanie, you are a radiant, beautiful, natural mother! I’m so happy for you that your arms have been filled! And can I be the first to admire how much hair Baby Abigail has???? Maybe no one else is as amazed as I am, but wow, she’s got some good hair! Hope you all are getting some rest. It might not feel like you are but it’s more rest than you were getting while Abigail was in hospital, and it is also amazing how your sleep requirements change once you are a parent (you will adapt!). Congratulations again — we look for more photos of that precious little girl!
Congratulations on your sweet baby girl!
A hint to help with the bilirubin/jaundice levels…take a vitamin E pill and pop it with a pin. Squeeze the vitamin E “juice” under her tongue. One pill should clear things up!A midwife trick!
God is so good! She is beautiful and you all are so blessed. Congratulations!
Tracy, for The L. Family
Congratulations on your beautiful little one! We understand the ups and downs of coming home with a very wee one, as our 2nd born son (we now have 7 with the 8th boy on the way!) was 32 wks when he was born. by God’s grace we brought him home 62 days after he was born, what a thrill and how overwhelming! I am sure that by now, you are settling in more and more each day! Your parents have been a blessing to our family through several books we have received. As the Lord brings you to mind, we will pray for you on this wonderful journey with your little Abigail hope. God bless you!
Duane and Shellee W.
Hokkaido, Japan
>>>>>>
Amen.
Steve