Family Visit Wrap-Up

And baby makes three.

Lucy is three weeks old today and everything is wonderful. Sarah + Lucy are hanging out with a few of our "New Family Friends" today, which is great for both of them. My Mom and sister spent Labor Day Weekend with us, where we were able to check out the UNBELIEVABLE Memory Quilt that both families made as a surprise for Lucy. Everybody had a couple of segments of their own, resulting in a beautiful image of everybody who loves Lucy. Sarah and I are overwhelmed and secretly covet it, although stealing gifts from your newborn daughter is considered poor form.

It's nice to be home.

A Note From Mom

Lucy, this is your Poppa.

It's going to take me a lifetime to describe to you all of the wonderful qualities he has but let's start off with a few things he's done recently...

• I was really, really sick the first couple months I was pregnant with you and your Daddy did everything for me. He cooked me every meal, cleaned every nook and cranny of our house and never, ever complained. Not even once. He even stopped making his morning coffee because it made me feel sick (By the way, all of this sick stuff? Don't worry, it was totally worth it.)
  
• When I finally felt better, your Daddy still cooked for me all the time and cleaned and did most everything. He also rubbed my hands and feet most every night before we went to bed. How neat is that?
  
• At the end of my pregnancy, when we could feel you movin' around in there and we were feeling happier with each day, your Dad was always the most excited one in the room. He has dreamed about being a Daddy his whole life, and now you're here.

Most nights when we're up together--you're having a snack, and I'm watching your sweet face--your Dad is there too, keeping me company and rubbing my feet. He just doesn't want to miss anything that you and I talk about I guess. How did we get so lucky, Lucy?

Week Two: More Pix

Nine Nine

Lucy has gained almost a pound in one week.

She now weighs in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces. This, according to kindly Dr. Jeremy Shapiro, is a wonderful sign that Lucy is doing very well. She's eating and sleeping about every three hours, her eyes are focusing on us, and her temperament seems pretty good.

My folks, Sally and John, are visiting and helping us feel normal for Week Two at Home. Dad's been cooking, Mom's been cleaning, Sarah + I have been learning that Lucy's 4 1/2 hour sleeping jags last week were a fluke and are adjusting to a more "normal" schedule of three hours of sleep at a time. Leslye, our Lactation Consultant, has been here twice and really helped us learn how to feed Lucy and not to take anything too seriously when problems arise. And arise they do.

My sister, Leigh, comes in for a quick visit starting tomorrow, while Dad is back in Portland now. We've been the lucky recipients of so much help from both families, we're a little nervous about making the transition to just the three of us next week. I think we both know that it'll be fine and we're looking forward to seeing what a family of three feels like, but still... our families have been such a help, it's tough to imagine doing it without them. We are so, so lucky to have them.

But luckiest most of all to have sweet, sweet Lucy.

A Few Pics

Bits & Pieces

Several highlights from the last few days:

• Lucy had her tongue clipped yesterday. She was born slightly "tongue tied", which runs in Sarah's family, so kindly Dr. Shapiro sent us to A Specialist. Despite some tears and a surprising amount of blood everything's fine and Lucy will play the violin again.

• Lee has whipped this place into shape and I think it looks great. She is amazing and we're sorry to see her go back to Chicago tomorrow morning. Plans for another visit are already on the table; we're delighted that she isn't sick of us.

• My mom, Sally, is here and my dad, John, arrives tomorrow. This is a very special time for us and I'm so happy that we have our family here, I couldn't ask for more.

Meanwhile, At The Doctor's Office....

Allow me to bring you up to speed.

Today Lucy had her first appointment with our new pediatrician, Dr. Jeremy Shapiro. He's great. He's the guy who walks into the room and you immediately think, "Oh, okay. We're in good shape here." Thanks to our friends Marion + Jason (and now Wes!), we're the newest patients at Boulevard Pediatrics and we're very happy.

Lucy has regained the weight she lost at the hospital and is up to 8 lbs., 12 oz., which is great. Interestingly, the kind folks at Cedars slightly overestimated her length and she's actually 20 3/8 " long instead of 20 1/2". Either that or my newborn baby daughter is shrinking. So let's go with the former.

Lee + Steve are taking great care of us, buying groceries, making dinners, and watching tons of Olympics. A Lactation Specialist is coming by first thing in the morning to help us out with a bit of breast feeding, which incidentally is the name of my new racy telenovela. Finally, we're beginning the process of switching Lucy's day/night sleeping schedule. Pray for us.