Home Sweet Home

Dr. N came by the hospital early Saturday morning to see Rory one more time, and she gave him the all clear to leave around 9am. I didn’t see Dr. S again, but the nurses discharged me somewhere around 10am.

However, we had to wait on some paperwork and for Rory to be given his Hepatitis B vaccine, so we didn’t actually get in the car to come home until lunchtime.

 

Big brother Riley seemed pretty excited to see us. I think he had really missed his Mama and Daddy, even though Grandma did a wonderful job of taking care of him while we were gone. And he knew right who Rory was when we brought him inside. We sat Rory on the dining room table in his carrier and had our first meal together as a family of four.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was quite nice. Kenny and I spent some quality time with our two boys, Rory took his first {short} nap in his crib, and I got to bathe Riley for the first time in a really long time. We also brought back the monkey burrito that night, and we’re hopeful that it will work as good for Rory as it did for Riley.

 

 

The next couple of days were more of the same, with us just trying to figure out our new normal. Unlike his big brother, Rory did not seem to like being in the bouncy at first; he much preferred being held. But we’ve continued to put him in it, and he’s gotten more and more used to it. Thank goodness because I unfortunately just can’t hold him all the time! Also unlike Riley, he really hasn’t taken to the paci. That could be good or bad; only time will tell.

 

So our days have been fairly smooth but the nights have been a bit of a challenge. The first few nights were long ones, especially between the hours of 11pm and 1am, when no matter what we did Rory just wouldn’t settle down. Kenny was a rock star those nights. However, we got past that, and he has actually slept in his bed (or the bouncy) for decent stretches, the longest being around four hours. He is also sleeping better during the day, too, and I think he’s actually starting to develop a bit of a pattern.

 

The other good news is that breastfeeding is going much better this time around. My milk came in on Sunday, and, aside from the first night when Rory wanted to eat every hour, he feeds every couple of hours during the day. Feedings don’t last very long (a lot of times only 5-10 minutes), but his plumbing definitely works (it seems like he poops at almost every feed!) so he’s apparently getting what he needs. He does spit up every now and then, but hopefully that won’t be an issue for too long.

We also had a few visitors come by our first week home, including Grams and Bop, Lizzie, QP, Aunt E, Uncle Jeff, Kate, and Kel-Kel. Thanks to all of you for spending some time with us!

 

Today is Ken’s first day back at work, so I am now officially on my own during the week with both boys. I have a feeling this view will be typical for a couple of weeks…..

And I will take comfort in the knowledge that Nola, Nopsi, and Grandma are only quick phone calls away if I need them. Wish me luck!