The day has finally come!

I cannot believe the day has finally come! My precious 1 pound 10 ounce baby sister is coming home weighing 5 pounds 7.5 ounces! It has been a huge roller coaster ride, but every day has been worth the ride!

On December 13, 2014, Brielle Leeann Karppinen was born at only 24 weeks and 3 days. It was a very scary time for us. It was a miracle that this little girl was here, because her momma was supposed to be unable to have any children due to medical reasons. There was a 30% chance that this baby would survive. From the moment I had heard about this complicated pregnancy, I had a good feeling about it. Even though there was only a 30% chance of survival, I truly felt that everything was going to be okay. The day after Thanksgiving, Jean was rushed to the hospital after her water broke. She was in the hospital for 15 days until Brielle came into the world on 12/13/14! The day she was born, both my brother and I went to the hospital and got to see our tiny baby sister. I will never forget how fragile she looked. I put my one finger in her tiny little hand and my heart just melted. It was scary seeing how tiny she was and seeing all the equipment on her, but I still felt in my heart that she was going to make it!

Today, Brielle will be leaving the hospital for the very first time! Today, we start a new chapter in our lives! Today, will be a day we never forget!

Brielle is now 37 gestational weeks. She has spent 90 long and stressful days in the NICU. I truly look up to Jean and my dad. This was a huge emotional roller coaster, but they were right by Brielle's side every moment that they could be! Obviously, dad travels for his job so he couldn't be there as much as he wanted to, but he was always there in his heart, and every day he possibly could when he got home. And Jean: she stayed there pretty much every night. Every once in a while, she was told to go home to get a good nights sleep in her bed rather than the uncomfortable couch in Brielle's tiny room. But the next morning, she would be right there by Brielle's side again! She is going to be an amazing mom! :)

Sorry for the long update, I just felt it was appropriate to put the whole back story to show how far this little fighter has come!

I would like to thank each and every one of you that has kept Brielle and our family in your prayers. It truly means the world to us, and has brought Brielle this far! But I would also like to ask you not to stop praying for us just yet. This transition home is going to be a huge change, without having nurses or doctors right there to help whenever necessary. Brielle still isn't "born" yet, so she isn't as developed as a newborn baby is, therefore, she will need extra care. Thank you in advance for continuing to pray for my miracle baby sister Brielle!

Thank you so much for reading! Our amazing story isn't over now that she is coming home. I will continue to update on how Brielle is doing, it just might not be as often as I have been! So, as always... More updates to come! :)