On being in the parent club

It turns out that after having it come six weeks early, and then being forced to wait 16 days to have it, everything everything about parenthood is amazing. Probably because we had to wait, because of nights when it was all I could do not to cry "I want my baby!" now everything is a treasure.

I love that he doesnt want to sleep in his little arm's reach co-sleeper. He only wants to sleep laying kangaroo style on our chests. It is inconvenient as all get out, but it is so adorable of him. And it feels amazing to feel so wanted and important in his little life.

I even love the poopy diapers. I love trying to learn all his little signals so I can game the exact right moment to change him. Because changing him before a feeding is great because then he's all sleep after the feed, and changing him gets him all riled up. But inevitably then he poops while he's being fed. So then I wind up changing him twice.

I haven't had another blowout or leak since my first one in the NICU (although I'm sure the time will come) but I did have a hysterical little event where the stinker pooped on me in three diapers in a row. I found a poopy one, and started changing. As soon as I finished wiping his tush and removed the poopy diaper to fasten the clean diaper (waiting underneath the poopy one, as the nurses in the NICU showed us) he squirted poo all over the new diaper. So I laugh and start the process again, and go for a new clean diaper, which I have just barely gotten in place when, you guessed it, the little man squirted again, and this time with such force and caught me by surprise in mid-move, so I wound up with a handful of poo and even still it wound up all over his onesie. And truthfully I totally loved it, because it was like one more initiation into the club of parenthood, and after feeling denied these rites of passage for the last sixteen days, each one still makes me feel pretty happy. That may not continue forever, but for now.

Today he also had his first pediatric appointment. We picked one of the practices that was recommended to us by Prentice NICU folks. The doctor was really nice and patient with all our questions. She weighed him and on their scale he was five lbs nine ounces! Well done little man. While there may be some slight differences from scale to scale, he left the NICU about five lbs five or six ounces, so it means he's made above average gains with us these last two days. As weight seems to be the primary way people evaluate his health and developmental progress, it is nice to be assured that all this time at home (and all this continued kangaroo care) is helping him grow.

He's a pretty amazing little dude. Even if he still mostly sleeps, eats and poops. :)