Settling In

So we have now been home from the hospital for a week. Life is sort of getting back to normal, at least our new normal anyway. We spent the first few days after we got home doing laundry, unpacking suitcases, organizing important papers, making phone calls, paying bills, etc. I guess I should say that Chris has done most of this while I sit on the couch with a sleeping ball of love in my arms :)

Cade is doing wonderfully despite his somewhat worried and anxious parents. He is eating on demand, which tends to be about every 2 or 3 hours and sleeps when he is not eating. I did notice though that in the last day or so, he has been awake and aware for much longer periods of time. It is so fun to see his eyes open and watch him explore his new world. We took him to meet our new pediatrician on Monday and he had already gained 8 ounces since Thursday night, making him a whopping 4 pounds 12 ounces! Dr. Tedford was great and put us at ease regarding Cade's susceptibility to illnesses and also in regards to immunizations. We feel that he respects us and truly has Cade's best interest at heart. We have another follow-up appointment on Tuesday to make sure Cade is still gaining weight and doing well at home.

Sleeping arrangements are not yet perfect, but could be a lot worse if you ask me. So when Cade was in the NICU, he slept in a little bed and was always swaddled tightly. He never had a problem falling or staying asleep that way. When we were getting ready to take him home, they informed and really stressed how important it was to put him on his back in his own bed without any blankets or toys at all. SIDS has become a huge problem and it is thought that babies suffocate on these things and therefore we should not use them in bed. However....how is he supposed to go from being tightly swaddled to flat on his back in a cold bed, flailing around and sleep comfortably? Yeah. Not so much. As a result, he will only sleep when up against one of us. He loves to sleep laying on my or Chris' chest or laying right up against me when I lay in bed. I know many of my fellow parents/blog followers will tell me to put an end to this right away, but i love it! There is nothing better than sleeping with a baby, especially your own. Not to mention that we will likely not have anymore children or at least no more infants and I want to soak it in while I can and enjoy every moment of his sweet little being while he still wants to sleep with me.

On the other side of it is my poor husband. Because the NICU nurses freaked us out about our baby dying in their sleep if they are in our bed or with any blankets on, Chris has been hesitant to sleep in bed with us for fear of rolling on Cade in his sleep. He has been sleeping on the couch and then coming back to bed in the early morning when I get up with Cade. Between this and Cade waking me up every 3 or so hours to eat, we are not sleeping as much as we would like to be. However, I would like to say that there is no crying or screaming baby or having to get up and go to another room to change his diaper or walk to the kitchen to make a bottle so I guess it could be worse. Plus, the lack of sleep is so worth it!

Chris' mom Judy arrived on Tuesday. She has been a huge help in making meals for us, keeping the laundry going and it has been nice for Chris to be able to spend time with her before he has to go back to work. She will be here until a week from Sunday and then my mom and Elizabeth will arrive. We love having family here and are so glad they are able to come and get to know Cade!

I just realized today that Cade will already be 1 month old on Monday and it made me sad. I am frantically trying to soak in every little moment I have with him because I know how fast it will go and before I know it he will be grown up. I know people always say it is amazing that you could love someone so much, but I really never thought it would be this amazing.

Me and Grandma Precious