Bringing Baby Home

After a very grueling few days, Noah and I were cleared to be discharged from the hospital yesterday. I was not feeling anywhere near ready physically to leave, but we were so excited about the idea of bringing Noah home, that I pushed as hard as I could to get mobile enough to leave. Michael and I were both by this time very sleep-deprived (not that we aren't now!) so it was a pretty exhausting day trying to get everything done that we needed to do before we could "check out."

Before we left, Michael and I had Noah's first pictures taken and they came out BEAUTIFUL! To view them, click: here. Noah was very cooperative and we were able to get a couple of shots where his eyes were open, as well as a very great shot of the three of us together than I cannot wait to post here soon!

After picture time was over, we then loaded Noah up into his car seat for the very first time and headed out to Warrenton to pick up his big sister, Vanessa, who was extremely excited to see her baby brother again. Although we were in a hurry to get there, Michael and I stopped along the way to attach the "baby in sight" mirror to the back seat. (Fortunately, there was hardly any traffic and we arrived early for pickup). The mirror allowed both of us to watch Noah as he slept in his car seat through the rear view mirrors. Vanessa also enjoyed watching Noah as she sat by his side for the rest of the car ride home. It was so great being to go home as a family.



As we drove home, we marveled at this being the very first time Noah would be outside, his first ride in the car, the first time he would ever see the sky or feel sunlight. How exciting for our baby boy to see the world for the first time (when his eyes were actually open)!

We did not get home until pretty late, but were so relieved when we did. It was so nice to be back in our own bed again, but I must say that my recent unwillingness to even try and sleep, which I persisted in, in the hospital for the last two days and until almost 3 in the morning yesterday, soon turned into a desire to get much more than I am going to be able to. Last night's sleep was the kind of sleep that the more I got, the more tired I felt. Poor Michael, after having such an exhausting week that he fell asleep in the Starbucks drive-through the other morning, has barely gotten any sleep at all given that he has had to work all day and help me with Noah all night, since I've been unable to lift Noah on my own before or after feedings once I am in bed. He has also been such a trooper by doing all of the night-time feedings ever since Noah was born. I must say that having a baby has certainly strengthened our marriage in so many ways.

It's amazing how fast the bonding happens and how quickly our little family has come together and adapted to this new little life. It's so amazing to look at my little guy and see how much he looks like his dad. This picture cracks me up because I think Noah looks so much like Michael here that it's scary!

So far we have agreed that Noah has Michael's forehead and temples, cheecks, lips and mouth and my hair and ears. His nose is pretty identical to how both Michael's and mine looked when we were kids and is very similar to Vanessa's. It will be so exciting to discover all the ways in which Noah resembles us more and more while he becomes himself more and more as he gets bigger. Right now, even though he looks big in most of these photographs, Noah is a little peanut. He is so tiny! And he is such a character, with a wealth of adorable expressions. He makes the sweetest little sounds. What a huge blessing our little boy is! It is so good to have him home!