We're Home! Adventures of the first Night

Well, last night was the big day.  After his small setback, Will perked up again with good eating and good temps.  His team had re-planned for discharge Saturday, but until it actually got here I wasn't going to count on it.  This time I feel ready though.  Not that I'm any less terrified than I was when we talked discharge last time, but I feel ready.  Which I suppose is good since we are all home now!

We told Lydia that her baby was coming home, and while initially confused (after all, someone in this family has been living at the hospital for the last three months) she kept asking about him through out the day.  We had originally planned on dropping her off with friends to play while we went to pick up Will, but then she was so interested I thought she might feel better about coming along.  So we gave her the option, and while letting a two year old make her own decisions might not be frequently recommended, she was certain about this one: she was going to come along to the hospital!  And she was so excited when we got there.  Her expressions were great when he squeaked, she asked to hold him and feed him and help with his car seat.  When we eventually wrangled everyone into the car and back home, she wouldn't go to bed without giving him hugs and kisses.  So far today he was the first thing she wanted to see this morning; "I have to tell him good morning."  She didn't want to leave "her baby" to come shopping with mom, and she absolutely has to help with every diaper change - at least we have someone willing to run them to the garbage!

Charlie has been good at welcoming his new little friend as well.  He loves to sniff baby's heads, and this has been no different.  But mostly I think he is curious as to who caused all the ruckus that got him kicked out of the master bedroom (besides mommy).  He's been good though, even when Lydia tells him "no Charlie, that's my baby" when he comes in to see what is going on.

So now we have the first night down.  It was interesting coming home in the evening ~ not that I think we'd have slept more regardless ~ but the first few hours were just about getting settled, picking what routine we'd try first, and realizing there is no point in planning more than three hours in advance!  There are two big variables so far compared to when we brought Lydia home.  One - I seemed to have gotten some viral thing a few days ago that wish as I might isn't allergies, so I have to wear a mask when handling Will and really have to minimize that as much as possible for a few days (booooo, plus doesn't help help the little sleep I would otherwise get).  Two is that Will isn't mature enough to exclusively breast feed (as expected) so we have the potential triple threat of nurse/bottle/pump for each feeding.  Since Lydia was only nursing, that was pretty much a one (wo-)man job; not this go around. 

As we settled in to bed for 'the night' Chris says make sure to wake me up.  For those who don't know, a freight train could come through our room in the middle of the night and if it didn't physically contact Chris he may not wake up ~ so listening for/hearing baby sounds is all me.  At this point we are still on a bit of scheduled cares so involves minimally an alarm every 3 1/2 hrs if Will doesn't get us up sooner.  Two hours after Chris uttered those fateful words, I was standing over him with Will and a bottle trying all I could to bring him to consciousness.  The first understandable words I heard out of him (after a lot of grunting and mumbling) were "oh, you have him right there" and then a blank stare.  So this was our pattern every three hours for the rest of the night.  We could switch roles, but I don't think Chris would do as well pumping.  Plus I love seeing my two main guys just hanging in the middle of the night.

So far, so good.  Each set of cares still involves monitoring Will's temperature.  And it figures for the little guy that is temperature sensitive he'd come home on a July day that got as cold as into the 50's and raining overnight ~ so he's been bundled up.  I find it a little ironic that Lydia came almost a week late in October and went home on an abnormally warm day ~ sunny in the low 80's; Will arrives 2 months early and comes home in the rain on a 50 degree July evening.  But we are ALL home!