February 15, 2011

Lots of firsts with our little Valentine

Well, the time came to leave the hospital and all of the wonderful nurses and staff that helped us learn the ropes for 4 days (and made sure we got naps!).
We brought HG home on February 14, 2011.... a very special Valentine's Day treat!


This is where all of the "firsts" I've promised to report on begin....
  • Our first car ride was wonderful... HG slept the whole time. We are so glad she didn't mind the car seat. Jason drove very cautiously and I cringed during bumps ;)
  • Our first afternoon was quiet (though I was prepared for chaos). The dogs took the transition pretty well, giving her a couple of sniff tests and discerning looks when a noise did appear. We know in time they will be the best of friends!
  • Our first night began after a couple of nice visits, when we decided to call it quits and move our camp upstairs. The night started off as a continuation of the smooth, laid back afternoon with nursing sessions flanked by sleep. Then, at 2 AM all of that changed....
...and there was not a nurse to call or a nursery to send HG. It was us versus her. It was an utter feeling of helplessness on our part and it played out for hours on end. No combination of feeding, rocking, singing, swaying, swaddling, lighting, or begging seemed to bring us close to a resolution.... until 6 AM, when completely exhausted, she managed to perform a 180 and finally nodded off to dream land.

BUT we are no worse for the wear. We learned a lot. Actually just saying we survived our first night is gratifying in itself. HG rewarded our efforts by giving us another wonderful day together, during which everything was cute and fun, and mommy and daddy even got to catch up on some zzzzzzzzzzs.... whether that's in preparation of another long night, we aren't sure... but here's proof that by mid-morning, we were back to our unfrazzled state and doing well. 

That's our 2011 Valentine's Day story... what's yours?

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