Welcoming Noah Part #2

After Noah's arrival we were able to welcome Grandma and Grandpa in to meet their Grandson. We enjoyed our last couple hours in our big room by soaking up tons of snuggles and giving Noah his first bath. We saw the anesthesiologist again to get my epidural cath removed and were then taken to our home for the next 48 hours.

Proud Grandma and Grandpa. I actually remember when this photo was taken and realizing that I was making that horrible face!

In contrast to our massive labor & delivery room, our post partum room was pretty much a speck. There was room for a hospital bed, cot for Scott and small chair for a guest. I guess the positive to this is that the bathroom was close by!

Figured it was time for a Noah pic. Could that little chin be any cuter?!

Our hospital stay was pretty uneventful. Just the way you want it to be! There were people constantly coming and going...vital checks, pediatrician, social security, visitors, etc...but overall it was just a lot more snuggling, laying around and waiting to come home.

Dad and Noah snuggling.

Cousin Michelle comes to visit.

Kristina, too!

The Hyland family came to visit. I failed to get a picture of Cort :-(

Future babysitters!

Grandma got a hold of Noah again...a very common sight these days. He is one lucky little boy.

**I also failed to get any pictures of Kyle's visits OR Crick's visit. Major fail but we will make up for it the next time we see them!!!

A few details about our hospital stay worth mentioning for the record:

• The first morning after delivery (about 6am) we took all our friend's advice and made sure to send him to the nursery. I had to force myself to let them wheel him away. After I realized that he was happy as a clam sleeping in the nursery it got easier each time. Plus, the sleep was pretty awesome.
• The first night went great. I would feed him, they would take him for a few hours until the next feeding and then bring him back to repeat. 
• Evening #2 we were given our farewell dinner by the hospital. The food left a lot to be desired (other than the carrot cake) but the one-on-one time with Scott was priceless. It was wonderful to reflect on the previous 48 hours and look ahead to all the great things to come for our new family.



Our special dinner.

• Night #2 was a very different story. Apparently screaming babies aren't welcome with all the calmly sleeping infants. I would feed him and then have him taken to the nursery however they kept bringing him back just a few short minutes after drop-off. The funny thing about this is the hospital bassinets make a very distinct sound coming down the hall and every time I heard it I would start thinking, "please let it be next door". But, alas it was usually our crier. 



These moments make every sleep deprived one worth it.

• As a result of a rough night #2 we were all ready to get the heck out of the hospital on Friday. Scott and I were both on edge and needed to get out of our cell room ASAP. Finally after going over discharge instructions for the 100th time and seeing all the required physicians we got the green light to go home. YAHOO!



All tucked in for my ride home :-)

•  

SO, now we are home and we are all learning more and more about each other each day. Luckily my mom is still here helping us out so we can sneak in extra naps from time to time. That, and we are eating like kings! Something tells me we are in for a rude awakening when she heads home! 

Of course, upon our return home it was time to introduce our fur babies to our real baby. How did it go? Exactly the opposite of what I expected. Turns out, Lola was 100% disinterested in the new addition and just wanted to snuggle mom and dad. Arnold, on the other hand, went ballistic! We aren't sure whether he wants to snuggle him, eat him (it could be a new squeaky toy after all), or protect him. Our money is on protect though. Overall the dogs are adjusting to their new life although I think Lola would prefer to get a bit more of mom's attention.

What's in there?!

Protecting his brother.

Sorry, no pics of Lola. She doesn't insert herself around the baby and that is the only subject of photography around here these days. 

Speaking of...

It felt like we hadn't seen that cute little face in awhile.

A few other highlights of our first few days home included our first bath and walk. One thing about Noah...he HATES to be cold. The slightest undressing sends him bonkers so we knew bath time would be a challenge. We all survived though and had one clean little boy to show for it.

He is ok with having his hair washed as long as the rest of his little body is cozy in a swaddle.

Body washing...not as much fun. Breaks my heart!!

All clean and happy again.

And, yes, that is a pacifier that has made its appearance. We were originally anti-paci as every breastfeeding lesson we received told us it was a no-no. However, we quickly realized that it made everyone happier when it came to diaper changes and a little soothing now and then to have one. Fortunately he isn't obsessed with it but it is serving its purpose and is not interfering with his nursing. Wins all around!

One final picture of Dad and Noah on our first neighborhood walk. It felt great to get outside and get some fresh air!

A final note...we went to the pediatrician today and had a great check up. Our little man is gaining weight back and got a clean bill of health. Scott and I also got to pepper the doctor with a zillion questions we have been compiling over the past 5 days. All in all, life is pretty amazing around here these days.

More soon...need to get some snuggles in!