Just the...three of us? (9/27/06 thru 9/30/06)

We brought Hannah home on September 27, after I started a mutiny at the hospital. Before the baby is born, the care is great. There's always a nurse available, they answer questions, and don't appear in a rush. Literally, the moment the baby arrives, they are gone, only to show up for the basics: tests, bath, etc.

I suppose this is OK in a world where hospitals are overcrowded and understaffed. But shortly after Hannah was born, I was ready to go home. I was done sleeping on the window sill, and I wanted to get on with the process of welcoming Hannah into our home.

Maria's OB, who didn't even deliver Hannah because she was at some tennis tournament, gave us the OK to leave on the 27th, and we were out of there, into the brave new world of parenthood.

We had plenty of help those first few weeks, but they were rough. Breast feeding was very challenging, so we had to give Hannah a bottle the first day we were home. Doing that so early makes....breastfeeding even more challenging. They don't tell you any of this going in, so it was trial by fire for us.

The first few weeks were OK. We loved Hannah the moment we laid our eyes on her, but the beginning of her life was challenging. Sleep, breastfeed, pump, bottle feed, burp, change. And again. And again. All day. All night. Interspersed with trips to Target to try out different nipples for the bottle, buy formula, get bottle and wipe warmers, etc, etc, etc.

In retrospect, I have no complaints, despite the fact that the transition into parenthood wasn't easy. Welcoming Hannah into our lives and home changed us forever. It made most things that we spend our time on seem trivial, and the joy of holding, cuddling, caring for, kissing, and loving our little one could not, and cannot, be matched.