Going home

It's official. We're outta here! The girls had chest X-rays this morning and had their pacing wires removed. They were not really happy about either of these events, but it's over now and they're happy to be free of a couple more wires. The pacing wires are little blue things that are attached directly to the base of their hearts during surgery. They stick out through two little holes just below the girls' ribs and serve as an insurance policy; should the heart's electrical system go haywire, they can stabilize the heart with an external pacemaker. When they pull the wires out, a little heart tissue comes out with it (the wire is stitched in place), which is a little disconcerting for the parents. But, all's well at this point. We'll stick around a couple more hours to ensure the girls' electrical systems are stable.

We're saving the pacing wires as a little memento of their visit here. These wires, photos of their time here, and the scars on their chest will be their only memory of this event. As Kathy Dawn said, someday they'll discover that not everyone has a scar on their chest...

Time to go home!