Homecoming: Gains and Losses

I can't believe you're over two weeks old! (Happy two week birthday yesterday, buddy!)

You've been home now for 12 whole days, and it feels like you've been here forever! You belong here, and you're at home here.

It's been an interesting, fun and -sometimes- messy journey now that you're home. And we're learning a lot about eachother. And you've had quite a few milestones!

• You can finally wear the cute non-hospital clothes we have for you!
• You've sufficiently scared the dogs so that they have to huddle together for comfort
• And you've sufficiently piqued their interest...I'd say we're on the road to you guys being fast friends (you'll definitely be friends once you start feeding them crumbs!)
• You've earned your reputation as a "Master Blaster" and a "Sneaky Pee-er," having peed on (in no particular order), me, the wall, the dresser, the clean dishes (don't ask about that one...it was Three Stooges moment on my, your Mom's and your Nanneh's part). And you've blasted on a very white, very clean photography set!

• You get to spend tons of time loving on your Nanneh, since she's staying with us and helping us stay sane! And you get to see Baba and Mimi and Pops when they visit often too!
  

• You've had your first bath which started out pretty well, but then seemingly took a turn for the worse (did you not like bath time?)
• You've grown so much! And gained weight! When you left the hospital your weight was on the rebound, but you still weren't back up to your birth weight. At a Doctor's appointment last Wednesday, you had already surpassed your birthweight and clocked in at 7 lbs, 11 ounces! (The doctor said that this kind of weight gain is almost unheard of! She was very proud of you!) And you're 21 inches tall!
• And we got to examine your cute cute cute feet in great detail.

• And, on top of it all, the best news is what you've lost! As of Friday night, the scab on the back of your head (from where your noggin was pushing up against your Momma's pelvis), and your Plastibell (the ring around your circumcision) both fell off! Now all we're waiting for is for the Umbilical Cord stump to say bye bye!

We love having you at home, and it's easy to say that we're in love. We love going on walks with you, and changing your diaper, and burping you and playing with and -even though it's a little painful- staying up late at night with you when you don't want to sleep (and seem determined to not let us sleep either!)

Even yesterday, after about 20 minutes of trying, I got you in this super cute outfit and you immediately threw up all over it. Did I care? No way! C'est la vie when you're a baby! I've never been so appreciative to be thrown up on, peed on, pooped on, kept awake and scratched with teeny tiny nails. No matter these little hiccups (it is , by the way, very cute when you hiccup!), we couldn't love you any more! Last night you fell asleep on my chest, cooing. It melted my heart (not literally, of course).

Nothing sums it up better than the first night that we got home. We were sleep deprived, groggy, I had some sort of bed bug bites all over my body from the hospital cots, your Mom was sore all over. We had just started to doze off in bed and I hear your Mom gently crying.

I turn on the light and lean over to ask her what's wrong.

"Nothing," she says. "I just love him so much!"

And that's the long and short of it, buddy! There's no amount of late nights, poop, pee or the like that will take that feeling away.

Welcome home.

Hospital(ity): Photo Parade

We stayed at the hospital from wee hours of the morning on your birthday on the 27 of February, all the way to the afternoon of Wednesday March 3, 2010!

But hospitals aren't all that bad. We actually had a lot of fun, besides your Mom recovering from labor and major abdominal surgery and kinda being in a little pain. But, she did have an unlimited supply of Swiss Miss Vanilla Pudding, so that's something!!

In fact, I even was able to reward her every time she got out of bed (which she had to do to begin the healing) by offering her TWO vanilla puddings!

Believe it or not, there was more fun to be had at Presbyterian Hospital than just pudding!

• You had a hearing test and passed with flying colors! 100% in each ear (the technician's first pass all day!)
  
• You had a circumcision (okay, maybe that wasn't too much fun for you)
• I learned from multiple nurses how to swaddle and do diapers
• We got a crash course on bathing you
• I got to sleep on bed-bug ridden cots! (which were a step up from the cot I traded in (that one looked like it had been used as a Gladiator's shield and then submerged in the Mystic River)
• You did cute things!
• You learned how to breast feed, and your mother learned how to nurse (pictures will not be posted...but believe me, there are some beautiful pictures that I may show at your Graduation or Wedding)
  
• You got to spend skin on skin time with Mommy and Daddy (pictures will be shown of this one, but any viewers are warned that there is gratuitous man nipple)
  
  
  
• You got jaundiced and unjaundiced
• You lost 7% of your birth weight, and then in one day gained back 4% (and an additional 2 ounces gained back the next day)
• You got to cuddle and snuggle with your Mommy and Daddy!
• I got to take tons of pictures of your cute little face and hands and feet
• We had visitors, visitors, Visitors! (and some brought food! and flowers! and food! and friendship (and food!))
• We got to eat really good hospital food (no joke-- Presby food was really good! I'm craving their cream of Enchilada soup right now! Now, I don't know how one creams an enchilada, but the result is magical)
• We got to smoke bubblegum cigars that your Godfather brought!
• You learned how to cry and smile a little
• Family, Family, Family!
  
  
  
  
• I almost locked my car keys in the trunk of the car (just before delivery!)
• I almost couldn't find my wallet when it came time to settle the bill
• Your Mom got to ride in a wheel chair
• We sang to you and listened to music and read to you
• You Developed your "stink eye" look
• Your Mom got better and better and could finally walk all the way around the hospital floor
  
• You got to wear this Baby Lo-Jack device that would send out a warning if you came near the elevators (and when they discharged you, they clipped the device off and the Alarms started Blazing!!! (they forgot to take you out of the computer!)
• Nurses slipped me extra trays of food!
• Free diapers and wipes!
  

Your Mom and I really liked being in the hospital. Being new Parents was incredible easy (when you have a staff of nurses and doctors 24 hours a day to help you).

But, now that we've had you at home for a full week now, despite all the fun, and the visitors, and the good camera lighting, and the ease of parenting and the Swiss Miss Pudding, the best part of being in the hospital, was bringing you home!