March Fourth: dada :)

to the best dad i know (my own father not included of course ;), HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! so glad i could give you a gift that will last a lifetime...two little girls that have their daddy wrapped around their fingers!

we've had a whirlwind of lovely chaos since we got home yesterday :) we were finally discharged from the hospital, the girls passing all health tests and the man of the hour successfully strapping the baby in the carseat and making the drive home bearable for my belly and i. avery was still napping when we got home which made for a good transition. grandma kathy was here to greet us and meet her newest little sweetheart! once avery woke up from her nap, she seemed thrilled that zane and i were both downstairs to give her hugs and kisses, even if she didn't take them right away ;)

without any prompting or setting up by anyone, avery saw one of nola's bottles and brought it over to the baby on zane's lap and tried to feed her lunch :) it was just about the sweetest thing i've ever seen and brought me to tears instantly. already it seems like she's accepted nola as being part of this house/family/life and has either been indifferent or fascinated. it's the most incredible thing to watch our daughters interact and begin their bond. i said tonight to zane that i can't remember the last time i've been this happy and content. that makes me a little sad to realize how miserable i was (during pregnancy), but in awe of how much love and adoration and peace i'm filled with now.

our first night at home went really well. avery settled down nicely after a frantic afternoon of trying to get in as much playtime/mama-dada time as possible. nola ate every three hours, going right back to sleep after a quick diaper change and only making small grunting sounds when she was ready for the next round. i can still only sleep on my back, but it was wonderful to be in our own bed and not be woken up by nurses to take my pain medicine (though i still miss the cranberry juice and ice!!)

today we layed low. put away and organized our hospital things. fed the little beast, aka nola ;) played with avery until she was so worn out she had a meltdown after lunch. planted some flowers that we had gotten from james and brian (thanks again guys! and sorry about the rush of yesterday, thank you so much for coming by!!) a visiting nurse came by to check on how we were doing. nola's current weight is 9lbs 8 oz, my incision and uterus looked good, and i got a ton of good advice/support with pumping. yay! zane went out to buy some baby stuff, kathy held nola for her almost 3 hour nap (while avery was also sleeping!), and i dozed on the couch. once avery was up from her nap, we said goodbye to grandma kathy-who has been the biggest help in the WORLD this past week. we can't thank her enough for all she did while we were in the hospital. it was a blessing to be able to focus on the baby and recovery with no worries about what was happening at home with the animals and first born! THANK YOU!!! we ate dinner with my parents and laughed the face avery made at my dad (see below) and cuddled the littlest lovebug as much as possible :) all in all it's been a fantastic 36 hours home.