Home Again Home Again.

It's official, we're a family of four, freed from the hospital. Though we are no means alone, thanks to our wonderful families, who have been amazing this entire week. I don't know what people do if they don't have family living nearby - it was such a relief for me to spend four days just taking care of myself and taking care of Adam, knowing that Tim was busy being daddy of the year to both kids, with Best Supporting Actresses Gigi and Mimi and Sara (honorable mention to Pa and Grizz, as always.)

Tim stayed home with Ellie last night, and Adam and I managed pretty well. He did do a two hour stint in the nursery so I could sleep (after he'd kept me awake eating for close to two hours) and he got himself a little sponge bath so he smelled and looked good for his big foray out into the world. It was really wonderful for me to have that time to just bond with him. Every time the nurses came in they'd remark that I was doing skin to skin yet again. I can't get enough of those warm little baby cuddles! I'm an addict. My doc signed off on me yesterday, and the pediatrician signed off on Adam this morning, so we just had to wait for all of the final paperwork and the birth certificate. It's always funny to me how they give you until the very last minute to name your child. Then again, as I've told people, it's so strange to me to hear people calling Adam by name, since it was such a big secret for so long. Like you all are cheating or something. I am just so used to calling him "the baby" or "hey you," as in "hey you, scoot your butt out of my ribs, you're hurting me."

Tim and I were home around 1. Gigi had picked up Ellie from preschool and taken her out to lunch, where Ellie proceeded to smear food and water all over herself. I got a big kick out of coming home to my kid, running around the driveway in just a pair of leggings. She was happy as a clam, the little urchin. She of course, wanted to hold the baby brother, and then we got her down for a nap. Adam had something to eat and then I went to sleep for a couple of hours as well. Gigi stocked our fridge for supper, and she and Sara stayed around long enough to welcome Ellie back from her nap, and so now it's just the four of us plus cats, figuring out how life works.

I know the real battles lay ahead of us, but I'm so thankful to be feeling so well. I don't know if it's the difference between having a routine, scheduled csection versus a semi-emergency one (I know I'm glad to not have gotten put on any of the blood pressure meds!) or just because I went into the delivery in better shape (we took our last family of three walk on Saturday morning. Since we were taking it easy, the three of us only walked 5 miles.) But either way, I'm moving slowly but moving ten times better than I was with Ellie. It helps that nursing this time is like rolling down a hill, versus a painfully steep uphill learning curve. Tim will be home with me for another week if I need him, and we've got all the grandmas on call, plus I have all of my wonderful mom friends checking in with me. To think, three years ago I came home and knew NO ONE with small kids, and now I have a dozen wonderful girlfriends who remind me on a daily basis that anything I need, they're here to do. We are so lucky to be so loved.

Hopefully Adam will enjoy the bassinet and crib more than his sister did. And Gigi still has her fancy fun cage, which I think Ellie only slept in twice.

Beans assists with crib and bassinet set up this morning.