We had Katie's ENT appointment today. I was hoping it would be the last one, but it won't be. He wants to continue to keep an eye on her stridor.

The ENT office is in the hospital building, so we went by and visited the NICU this afternoon. Most of the nurses I cared to see were off or in a procedure, but we saw a few nurses and Katie's neonatologist. Everybody thought she looked great! I get a funny feeling everytime I enter that place. I don't know how to explain it. The smells, the elevators, the looks on parents' faces...it makes me feel a little sick. I'm grateful for everything they did, but at the same time, it was a pretty tough stretch of time we spent there. I went in the waiting area to give Katie a bottle before we got back on the road. There were a set of grandparents and 2 moms in there. We chatted while Katie took her bottle. I hope it made them feel a little better. Maybe at least seeing Katie will give them some hope. I hate seeing other people with that exhausted, scared, worried, lonley, frustrated, helpless look on their faces. When I was leaving, I was so thankful that I got to take my baby home with me. I don't know how I made it through leaving her there every night. Thank goodness that chapter is over.

I've decided on a theme for Katie's 1st birthday......LADYBUGS. I call her "Katie-bug", so "ladybugs" seemed like a good idea. I'm thinking up party ideas, but I don't want to spill them yet. Stay tuned!