We were very glad to be home in our own bed last night, though we didn't get to spend a great deal of time in it. As we recall from Edward, babies take time to adjust to their new sleeping places and Daniel is no exception. He wasn't too keen on staying in the cradle, even when swaddled tightly to create boundaries. So each of us took a turn in the chair holding him while we slept. Not too onerous a task, but still not the best position for restful sleep. Anyway, we made it through the night with a couple of feedings and then woke for the day with Edward's call this morning.
Gram and PopPop came back with a bagel breakfast and then took Ed to the grocery store for a few supplies before they headed back to Evanston. We were sorry to see them go, and so glad for the extra help these last few days. But we're trying to return to some sort of routine family life, incorporating this new little person, so we had to go it alone at some point!
Daniel is doing well with breastfeeding...I think. He's been eating about every two hours for at least 20 minutes and making all the right sounds and signs to indicate that he's actually getting milk. Though I'm committed to breastfeeding, I do sometimes wish for the security of measuring the proper number of ounces and watching them disappear from a bottle. I guess we'll find out more when we take him to the doctor tomorrow. They can weigh him and do a general check. We're particularly curious about jaundice, since it was part of Edward's early challenge.
Edward has been very tender toward Daniel, and we felt confident enough to let him "hold" Daniel for the picture above. This was accomplished with precision timing--we have lots of outtakes with my hands and arms in the frame! He was very concerned that Daniel did not enjoy his first home bath tonight--screamed bloody murder, in fact. He watched carefully and pointed to the pacifier at one point, suggesting it might make Daniel feel better. They both seemed quite relieved when it was over and we got him dried and dressed. When Daniel is eating we take off his swaddle and hat to keep him alert. Edward is concerned about the hat and always asks to put it back on. He also decided that the thin cotton cap we picked for today was not good enough and went back to the office where we'd stashed the car seat to retrieve the blue penguin hat. Then he demanded that Daniel wear only the "blue hat." We showed him how many other hats he had to choose from, but there was no deterring him.
That penguin hat picture of Daniel ready to leave the hospital really reminds me of Ed in the early days. Daniel will be his own person, but seeing him in all of these baby clothes really gives us a flashback to two years ago. So much to look forward to, even as we look back.
