Baby Caysen Tenney looks a little bit bewildered, a little bit irritated, as his father and his physical therapist stand on either side of his crib Monday.

A steady stream of doctors and nurses wearing scrubs and tennis shoes enters and exits his hospital room. And Caysen is cranky, tired from his earlier therapy session.

But Monday is different from all the other days in his room at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Caysen, finally, is going home.

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Caysen, who turned 1 in December, has only spent four days at home with his parents, Crystal and Lou Tenney, and his three older brothers in Monclova Township.

Before, the rest of his life was spent in medical facilities in Toledo, Ann Arbor, and Boston.

"All he knows is hospitals," says Mrs. Tenney, 32.

"And gowns and scrubs," Mr. Tenney says. "That's all he sees."

Caysen was born with a medical condition known as esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula, in which his esophagus did not properly develop and food did not reach his stomach -- until surgeons fixed it.

But his health is even more complicated: his parents have learned Caysen also has a hole in the right side of his heart and significant hearing loss.

There isn't a easy answer -- just a 30-minute conversation -- when loved ones ask how Caysen is doing.

On Monday morning, Caysen lies in the hospital bed, his right foot dangling on the crib.

Deep scars on his stomach, above his belly button, and on his back are reminders of the more than 20 surgeries and procedures he's gone through.

The 23-pound baby has had more surgeries than an aging, beat-up NFL player, says Mr. Tenney, 37, a satellite television installer.

"That's just insane," he said.

Both his parents say they feel nervous about Caysen's homecoming. They hope he doesn't get sick like he did in July.

An IV is taped onto Caysen's right arm, the breathing tube is attached to his throat so the baby's cries are inaudible, and a feeding tube hangs from his stomach.

Caysen is susceptible to pneumonia, and they are taking him home in the middle of flu season.

But Caysen is also bigger, stronger, and more stable now, says Doctor Peter Ehrlich, a pediatric surgeon who met Mrs. Tenney when she was still pregnant.

"I think you've done amazing," Dr. Ehrlich says to the Tenneys after he stops briefly into the hospital room to say goodbye. "I know it's been a long haul."

The Tenneys are hopeful for Caysen's progress. They want him to learn how to move out of a hospital bed, hold himself up on his own, crawl, and walk.

The baby is also learning sign language, like how to say "more" or "hi." He laughs when the nurse wiggles her fingers at him for the word "wow."

Finally, after four hours of waiting for the discharge notice, the Tenneys pack up Caysen's belongings and leave his room with the big glass window overlooking the woods on the hospital's tenth floor.

On the way out, three nurses coo at Caysen, with his big cheeks, in the elevator.

"I love babies," one of them says.

Caysen seems content as they drive back to Ohio. There won't be a big homecoming party -- too much risk for germs.

But several cars are parked in the driveway, including one belonging to a new nurse, who will come seven days a week to care for Caysen at night so Mrs. Tenney can help her other children with homework and sleep.

Within a few seconds of the van's arrival, Logan, 6, a Monclova Primary kindergartner, runs out, chanting his baby brother's name.

Caysen's other brothers are Blayne, 11, a fifth grader at Fallen Timbers Middle School, and Nolen, 9, a fourth grader at Monclova Primary. The three boys rode their very first plane last month to visit Caysen in Children's Hospital Boston.

"Caysen is home!" Logan exclaims, gently kissing the infant's face.

Contact Gabrielle Russon at: grusson@theblade.com or 419-724-6026.

First Published January 31, 2012, 5:30 a.m.