Fingerpaint Wedding Dress: Wednesday and Thursday

We brought Ezekiel "home" from the hospital yesterday. Praise God! Our first 24 hours with him has been fun and stressful at the same time. He is SO GOOD. I can't believe it, I kind of feel like he's too good. Although I do know that babies are supposed to sleep A LOT. He eats every 4 hours, poops a lot, and sleeps the rest of the time. So he's just right. There is also a lot of kissing and cuddling going on.

The last 2 days have been 2 of the most intense days of my life. It was a stressful and intense series of events that brought us to the Hodges at 4pm with Ezekiel, finally...finally.

We were at the hospital early Wednesday morning, so Nathanael could watch the circumcision, which went smoothly. Nathanael was fascinated to watch the procedure.

We spent a little while with Amanda in her room, but Ezekiel was not there. He was getting prepped for surgery. We kept things light, even though we all knew that what was coming was going to be really emotional for everyone. I gave Amanda her bracelet, which I had been really excited to give her. It is a bracelet just like mine. Mine says, "I waited patiently for the Lord", and hers says, "He turned to me and heard my cry". Mine is the first half of Psalm 40:1, and hers is the second half. I thought it was really special, and I knew I would cry when I gave it to her, which I did. Dana said Amanda doesn't like to cry in front of us, but she did, how could she not? It was a great gift, and she loved it, as did her mom. :)

When we left, we left the hospital, and went back to the Hodges, to await discharge orders, and so that Amanda did not feel pressured with us in the waiting room. Waiting at the Hodges yesterday was even more stressful than waiting for him to be born on Monday. It was around 2:30 when we got word from Dana to head to the hospital. And nervously, anxiously, we did. We didn't know what to expect. The time we spent at the hospital prior to discharge were some of the most intense, and bittersweet moments that I will ever experience.

Ezekiel's hearing tests and bilirubin test turned out great, before he left. No more jaundice or deafness! Hooray!

One thing I forgot to mention about Tuesday, and I MUST mention it - The name tag on the girl who was taking the professional photos was Mistee - I told her that was my name too, only with a "Y", and she said, "Yeah, my parents were hippies, so they named me Mistee Dawn". Amanda and I looked at each other in awe. What are the chances of her and I crossing paths??

We video chatted with Amber and Ruby, my mom, and Mindy last night, so they could "meet" Ezekiel via video. Dan and Robyn must have been terribly envious, because they bought a web cam today, and we'll be video chatting with them tonight.

Here's a good story: As soon as we got back to the Hodges, we fed Ezekiel for the first time, and then changed him. We tried to change him together; that did not work out. He cried, of course, and then he peed on us, and so I instinctively threw a baby wipe over him, and then Nathanael urgently reminded me that it might sting, because of his little boy wound! And Nathanael was telling me to be so gentle, and it was making me nervous. He's got a lot of stuff going on down there to look out for, with his umbilical cord stump, and the circumcision and everything. Diaper changing has been much calmer since. He doesn't even fuss too much when I take his diaper off now, only when I'm putting a new one on.

His first night was a breeze! Although, I would guess it is the accumulation of choppy sleep that makes one grouchy - I felt pretty good today. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Nathanael's grandparents and aunt are coming from College Station to meet Ezekiel. I'm trying to decide what he's going to wear for the meeting. They will be the first family to meet him!

I experienced a certain amount of stress today, and I realized it's because I'm learning something new (taking care of a baby), and I am now permanently responsible for another human being (Ezekiel). And I'm coming to find out that there is inherent stress in that fact. But I'm guessing I'll get used to it. I already feel more comfortable tonight than I did last night. I also think I'm a little extra stressed because I'm not home. I felt somewhat homesick today. It's harder than I thought, having a new baby (stressful), and also not being in my own home (a little more stressful).

I didn't go out much today, but it's still amazing how busy it is with a baby. I couldn't even tell you how I filled my time today.

Charlie is singing to Ezekiel via video chat on his ukelale: