Heading Home!

Jaxon got to do his inpatient therapy graduation parade with two of his friends yesterday. The music was blaring Happy from Despicable Me 2 and for once in his life, Jaxon put on a shy face. Every therapist and nurse lined up to wish Jaxon well in the next chapter of his life. He has gone from taking independent steps to walking the halls of the hospital saying hi to every person he walks by in a matter of days. Our original discharge date was next week (12/29), but Jaxon has done so well with all therapies that his medical and rehab teams were happy to give us the news of an early discharge. We get one more day as a family of three in Philadelphia, then we're leaving on a jet plane to reunite with Hadley and Koda on Christmas Eve in Denver. We will all wake up on Christmas morning, at home, as a complete family!

Typically, when asked what you've done the past two months, or what you have planned for the next eight weeks, the answer may be mundane. Maybe there's a weekend away or a family vacation. Maybe there was a string of tough work weeks or a strain on a personal relationship.

These last eight weeks for Morgan and I have felt like an eternity and will leave a lasting impact on us. Describing our time in Philadelphia as overwhelming just doesn't do it justice. It has been filled with anxiety, sleepless nights, a lot of highs, and some of the lowest of lows you can imagine as a parent. All that said, Philadelphia has earned a special place in our hearts... a successful surgery and inpatient rehab stay.

For Jaxon, this eight week chapter will give him an unbelievable foundation for the life he deserves. It will allow him to play with kids his age. It will allow him to make lifelong friends and love his family. This last chapter will allow him to smile bigger, laugh louder and hug longer the rest of his life.

Our next chapter will start with the best Christmas we've ever had.

We have unbelievable gratitude for Jaxon's surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Kennedy, and his surgical team. His Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapists learned to love Jaxon in the weeks they were able to work with him, thankful for those three wonderful women. We're thankful to all of Jaxon's friends he's made along the way, including the two women at the checkout counter in the hospital cafeteria (pictured below.)

To everyone who has contributed to this unreal chapter in Jaxon's life through well wishes, donations, text messages, and phone calls just to check in... THANK YOU.

We're headed home!

Much love from Philly.... one. last. time.