Rain.

Did I mention that it's been pouring rain ALL. DAY. LONG. & that basically the entire east coast is flooding?

Lovely.

Plans to drive north have been scrapped & we're catching up on The Daily Show & projects around the apartment instead. We'll get in a car on Saturday when the sun decides to come back out.

(I even put on real pants today. Such a waste.)

And napping. All three of us are taking a lot of naps. Quinn is also working on getting chubby. Seriously, he's probably almost 7 lbs (!!). I feel squish on his arms now.

Kind of the same, but different.

I'll probably turn into one of those moms that takes 25 photos that are all slightly different & then posts them all, thinking how unique & perfect they are. And then everyone will make fun of me. Oh wait. I've already done that. 

Tara called the other day & told me that two photos were the same in one of my first posts of Q. I responded with No, they're different! Look at his leg! It moved. It's showing progression! See!

(She wasn't being critical, just making an observation.)

These are kind of like these. But cuter (& taken with my iPhone). 

His hands are always on his face. I sleep the same way.

Speaking of sleep, I just woke up from an almost-3-hour nap with both Mike & Quinn (Q was in his bassinet). I think family napping is my new favorite activity. 

Two weeks.

Two weeks, what?! The first week was a blur, & this second week has sped by far too quickly.

14 days old

1/2 tube of Lansinoh lanolin

1 can of Dermoplast numbing spray

100 IBU tablets

-18 pounds

3 trips to Shake Shack

2 packages of Costco wipes

2 bags of Epsom salt

8-10 diapers per day

1/2 dozen loads of laundry

Lots of visits from friends

Not enough sleep

Random photos from days 7-14, because I like them (including sister-in-law + new Aunt Cara, Quinn testing out his new lounger [he's okay with it], when friend Suzi came over to play, & the first attempt at the Bjorn).

Out & About.

I woke up feeling almost rested (!) this morning. Quinn is a very good sleeper at night. I appreciate that. 

Today - he decided he didn't want to sleep during the day. At all. Babies need sleep, sleepy parents need babies to sleep, & Q was clearly lacking, so we finally packed up the stroller & out we went. The stroller is like extra strength Benadryl for this kid. He loves his stroller, which means that he's typically asleep 14 seconds after it starts moving. Anyway. We went to friend Suzi's, a quick errand at our church building, to Shake Shack for dinner, to Central Park & the Great Lawn, past The Met, & then back home. Q slept the entire time, which made for happy parents (although we would have been happier if he had decided to take his four hour nap while we could sleep, too). Plus, it was just lovely to spend time wandering with Mike. I love him not working this week (& kind of don't want to think about next week), & love that he has made time to do things like make really amazing videos. Seriously. How cool was that? I love my husband, & someday I need to document his incredible swaddling + burping skills. He's a natural dad & seriously - way, way better about getting a nice burp out of Q than I am, or making sure his swaddle is good enough to prevent Quinn's arms from wiggling up to his face in the middle of the night. I'm still working on both.

Anyway. We've been getting out a bit more, & that feels nice.

And - every time I go outside with Quinn, I feel stronger & more capable & more confident about this mothering business. 

Yesterday, Quinn & I had our first trip out together with the Baby Bjorn. So liberating, especially after being either in a hospital room or my apartment for the past 2 weeks (with a few walks here & there). He weighs far less than my average handbag (+ camera, etc), & it was easy. We went to Gap (new sweats!), the post office (stamps for lots of thank you cards) & Pinkberry (because I needed a smoothie - I've had a pathetic appetite the past week which doesn't bode well for nursing). He slept the entire time.

I can do this. 

The Making of Q (G Rated Version)

*Filmed and edited entirely on the iPhone 4. Apple Inc, please make royalty checks payable to "J. Michael Whiting"

Gratitude.

One of Q's new tricks is smiling, & he does it frequently - although I've yet to capture it on film (er, JPEG). After I fed a very sleepy boy around 7:30am this morning, he paused, looked up & just smiled at me for a solid minute or so - obviously happy & quite satisfied with his breakfast.

It made me feel appreciated for what often makes me feel like an Amish milking cow (as anticipated).

On the 5th day, he continued to lounge.

Quinn is still a lit bit on the tiny side to be using his lounger (or to be wearing anything other than under 7 pounds clothes, which are still too big!), but we grabbed a few blankets & propped him up a bit. I think he was a fan.

Side note: Bless this baby's heart, but he's given his mama such wonderful nights sleep the past few days. I'm almost feeling rested. I'm grateful that he likes his long stretches of naps at night verses during the day - although he's still pretty sleepy & sometimes does both (added bonus).

Also - & totally unrelated - one of our doormen said that Q definitely looks like me. I think the jury is still out (but so far - I think his nose & face shape are mine, & his lips Mike's).

Lastly - he almost has a mullet. This boy has some hair. I need to better document the back of his head. It's impressive.

Day 4.

We took Quinn home on a Saturday.

Saturday was discharge day. They let us take Quinn home!

Mike took some photos & video in the morning when he arrived. I really love the photo of the empty car seat in front of the hospital entrance. It's so tiny. Quinn is so tiny! He felt extra-small leaving the hospital (especially since his weight had dropped to 6 pounds!).

Tim & Amy visited in the morning. Amy & I have gone through our pregnancies together, & oh how grateful I am for her! Such a good friend, & so wonderful to have someone in my exact same shoes in that very moment, every step of the way. It was a teensy bit strange to see her there pregnant, & me holding a baby in my arms, not only because it was hard to imagine a Quinn folded up in her stomach, but also because we always thought that she would deliver first. That being said, her turn came one week after Q was born, & Baby Eli is a gem.

My favorite nurse GiGi taught us how to give Q a sponge bath, took us through a bunch of paperwork, made sure Q was in his carseat safely (he was swimming in it, even with the infant insert) & led us out the door. Alone. With no other adult supervision.

Gulp.

Our cab driver did not share my sense of humor. When he pulled over & hopped out to help us with all of our stuff I said You're a good driver, right??! He took my question very literally & stumbled over his words nervously when he said Generally, yes, I try very hard to be. I told him that didn't really make me feel any better. That being said, he was obviously driving quite cautiously all the way back to our apartment. I appreciated that.

When we got home, our apartment was bright & filled with light. It was a beautiful day. I took these photos. Then the three of us sat on the couch & I saw our reflection in the TV. Three of us. For 5 1/2 years, I've only seen two of us looking back. I showed Mike what I was looking at, & I think we both felt perfectly warm & fuzzy about our new view.

Tim 

Amy + Baby Eli in utero + Baby Q