Hands

At one time or another, all of us had hands this small. Liam's got a lot of growing to do and I'm sure we're in for many surprises. I'm sure that as soon as we figure out his current schedule, he'll be finished with that and on to something new. He'll keep us on our toes. For now, he has four states: sleeping, awake and curious, nursing, wanting to nurse (i.e. crying). So, its pretty easy to figure out what to do if he gets fussy. Of course, the most fun time is when he's awake and curious. He looks around and is fun to entertain with various songs, talking and silly noises. I recently found that he enjoys a quick fake bike ride. I prop him up on my knees and support his head while gently jiggling him along straight-aways, whoosh in his ear going down a hill and sway to each side while taking a turn. I figure he recognizes the concept from his mommy's many spin classes (which she took up until the day before he was born!).

Yuki is still quite wary of Liam, but decided that his changing table pad would make an excellent bed. We'll need to stay vigilant making sure Yuki doesn't decide Liam's bassinet would make an excellent cat bed! Fortunately, the bassinet in our room has a full canopy that keeps him out.

My parents came over tonight and cooked us dinner, watched a DVD with us and then helped clean up. It was fun and a bit of a relief to have a couple other adults in the house. They also brought our second bassinet (given by one of my co-workers) so we could set Liam up on the first floor with a place to sleep other than in our arms. He seems to really enjoy the new bassinet because he can look through the mesh side at the lights in the house - I think he likes the light-dark pattern that creates. Wouldn't it be nice if we were all still so easily pleased? Instead of fancy TVs, we could just buy a small bit of mesh and look at a light bulb WHEE!

Due Date

Today was Liam's due date before we knew he'd be a scheduled C-section. Its amazing to think that this little guy could have been in Annika this whole time, happily cramped up and hooked directly to his food source. Instead, he's been out here in the cold world where he has to do something to get food - what a raw deal! He's adjusting though. Due to "popular demand" (i.e. one request), here's a really short video of Liam. Its not good, but its a bit better than just a still photo. This is one of the few times Liam is awake and just plain happy.

A+ Baby

Liam had his first visit to the pediatrician today. His doctor officially pronounced him an "A+" baby (its his blood type). Surprisingly, Liam is already back up to his birth weight after just six days. Babies usually lose about 10% of their birth weight in the first couple days and then put it back on over the next two weeks. Since Liam's been such a good eater, he's put it back on twice as fast. While this same pattern might be troubling in an older person, this is a good thing for a baby so the doctor was happy.

Liam was much better last night than on his first night home. He slept for 3 hours at a time throughout the night, just waking up for food and a diaper change. Annika and I were much more refreshed this morning as a result. A baby his age doesn't have a big enough stomach to hold more than about 3-4 hours of food, so this is as good as it gets at this stage in terms of sleep.

Annika's sister and dad came over tonight to cook dinner and eat with us. While we ate, we put Liam in his swing for the first time and it worked like a charm. One instant, he was crying hard and the next (when I turned on the swing) he was sleeping. We have to resist using it as a crutch to get him to sleep all the time, but its nice to have such a powerful tool when the need arises!

Home Alone

As many people predicted, Liam has cried more at home than he did at the hospital. I think its because we're still trying to work out his nursing and sleeping schedule. It was frustrating trying to figure out how to make him feel better late at night last night and into the early morning. He's still sleeping for three or four hours at a time though once we get him content.

Makoto spent the whole day near Liam. He didn't want to go outside or eat, just be near Liam. Someday, he's going to realize that Liam is going to be here for a long time and he'll need to eat anyway. I think he's adopted him into the "pack." Meanwhile, Yuki still won't get near him. Yuki's probably annoyed that there's a new person invading his territory.

Its amazing how our sense of time is already getting distorted. Depending on what Liam is doing, time either flies or drags. A couple hours of sleep seems like 10 minutes while 15 minutes of burping, rocking, swaddling, shushing, etc. feels like an hour. Meanwhile, the things we're used to take much longer now - like going to a new room, or eating a meal. These normally trivial tasks have become undertakings involving many interruptions. I'm sure we'll get into the swing of it soon though.

It seems like longer, but Liam is only a little over 5 days old!

A note from Mom

Up until now, Steve has really been the only author to this blog and it is time the new mom contributed some thoughts and feelings:
To tell everyone the truth, I was concerned about how I would feel about my new role as mama. Steve has been such wonderful anticipating father that I thought there was no way I could match his love and devotion. I was worried about me being too selfish and wouldn't want to do all the typical mom duties. Boy, was I wrong. I can't say it was the instant I laid eyes on him (I was pretty doped up at the time), but shortly after holding him to my chest, I knew I would love this guy for a lifetime and would sacrifice anything for him. (I tear up just thinking about it). I am surprised at how much I like nursing him: I feel like I can provide for him and make him happy. I am surprised at how protective I am of him: I couldn't let him go to nursery at night even though I could get some better sleep if I did. I am surprised that I can stare at him for hours while he sleeps in my arms.
So far, being a mom is great and I already want to keep him this small and hold him forever.

A Lesson Learned

Lesson Learned: the re-usable diapers are too big for Liam right now. Although they looked a bit too large, it took a wet swaddle blanket (Liam's) and shirt (mine) to confirm :) We'll try them again when he gets a little bigger.

Homeward Bound

Today we said goodbye to the awesome nurses and our room at the hospital. Although we were happy to head home and introduce the pets to Liam, we wished we could keep the conveniences of the hospital (someone else did Liam's laundry, we just called for room service, a maid cleaned the room each day, and nurses came in to check on Annika and Liam all the time and took him at night if Annika wanted to get some rest).
For the first night, I stayed at the hospital on this bed. However, the last couple nights I went home for some real sleep while I still could. Now we need to decide where to set up shop while Annika continues her recovery. I might also need to go buy a cranberry juice machine to replicate the cran-waters on the rocks that Annika loved so much at the hospital!
Before we left the hospital, they removed Liam's LoJack device from his ankle. This prevented anyone from walking out of the hospital with Liam before he was officially discharged.
We got Liam all dressed up in a one-piece that his Aunt Michelle gave him and a hat that Annika's Aunt Laurie made for him. He was quite upset about being in his infant carrier at first and had a good cry. I took the harness off and rocked him in the carrier for a while on the floor until he calmed down, and then I slowly snuck the harness back on. By the time we got to the car, he was fast asleep and stayed that way as we arrived back at the house.
Our lovely neighbors had decorated our front door with balloons, banners and a sign announcing Liam's birth. It was really nice of them.
Once we got inside, and settled in, I went to the store to pick up Annika's pain medication. So far, her pain has been kept under control. Once I got back, we introduced Makoto to Liam. It was hilarious to watch him sniff Liam all over. He was really excited to meet Liam and has been following him around all day as we carry Liam from room to room. I think they're going to get along famously and we're both happy that Makoto reacted this way.