Only 1 step away.....

Hello everyone! Atticus certainly had a big day today. He started by having a swallow study done to see how well his vocal chords work, and of course, how well he can swallow. He got an 8 out of 10, which impressed the doctors because most babies that have been on a ventilator for so long generally don't manage to get anything down. He did really well with the thicker concentration (like a milkshake), and really bad with the thin concentration (like milk). All in all, it went well.
The other great news today is that we have offically gone to the step down unit, 7C!!!!!!! HOOOOOOORRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a huge step for Atticus! This means that we are only 1 step away from home. We have been waiting a loooong 5 months for this day. It still seems surreal that we've actually made it here to 7C. I'm still praying that Atticus can come home by the end of this week. It would be a huge blessing to have all 3 of my children home in time for Gideon's 3rd birthday on Sunday, March 14th. If not, we've waited this long, it won't kill us to wait a little longer. I'm just grateful that we've it out of the PCICU. I've started taking over giving Atticus his feeds and meds. Not as bad as I thought it would be. He also got "unplugged" from his IV today. It's so awesome to be able to just scoop him up whenever I want to. I also am bunking in room from here on out. They have a pull out couch, shower, etc in room, which is nice.
Thank you so much for the phone calls, emails, cards, visits, and the MANY prayers! God has truly worked many miracles for Atticus. Please continue to pray that Atticus can come home soon, and that he can stay home!!! (At least until his next surgery) I am so humbled to know that there are so many of you out there praying for our little guy. Even those that have never met us personally. Thank you all again for everything you've done, and as always....Keep on prayin'!