From Marcus' Blog: A Perfect Little Family Morning

This morning was a wonderful morning. I have been wanting it to snow while on maternity leave since it started. I love watching the snow fall peacefully outside while I am warm and cozy inside of my house. This morning was just that. We woke up at your usual time of around 7:30 and Dad was supposed to drive to Twin Falls for work. I opened the bedroom curtains to find a white world greeting us. Since it was still snowing Dad decided not to make the drive to Twin. Yay! So the three of us cuddled in bed together (I even got a Marcus and Dad cuddle sandwich) and watched the adventures of Tin Tin as we watched the snow fall through the window. You were awake through the whole movie and made us smile with your bright blue eyes and curious looks around the room. It was a perfect little family moment for me that I will cherish forever.

From Marcus' Blog: Finishing Out Your First Week

Well, I am falling behind a little in the posts. Apparently being a new mom and loving on you is a full time job! And who can blame me? I would much rather share cuddles with you than be distracted by a computer. However, I do want you to have a great 1st year baby book so we will keep plugging away on the entries.

Day 5
We had more visitors today. Great Grandma Casey, your Uncle Kevin, Aunt April, and Grandma Miklos came to visit you. This was the first time you got to meet your Uncle Kevin. He held you and loved up on you but then was also great and took Bailey out to the park for some loving. She is doing really well adapting to having you in the house, but she still is very attention starved.

While my family came to visit us, Dad had made plans to meet up with a few friends to get out and get some fresh air. He has done such a great job of taking care of both of us, that I know it is important for him to get a break in order to keep his sanity and to continue to help us out. Later in the evening Jake and Jessica came over to visit.

Today I got very emotional. Your dad had to calm me for quite a while. Everything possible was running through my head about how fast you will grow up and how I feel I might miss too much, to the fact that I am never going to sleep again, to I don't want my happiness that I am experiencing right now to ever go away. Coming off hormones is crazy, but your dad does a great job of helping me talk through them.

I also took a video of you sleeping today. It is the most precious thing ever. You make the most amusing and sweet faces when you are sleeping. I was able to capture you smiling and frowning while asleep. I can sit for hours and stare at you while you sleep because I am so in love with you and all that you do, even when you are not awake! Unfortunately the video is too long for this post so I won't be able to post it.

Click for Link to Video of Marcus Sleeping

Day 6
Today was Super Bowl Sunday. Your first super bowl had the Giants and the Patriots in it and the Giants won. It was actually a very boring game and I fell asleep before it was even over. I had high hopes before you were born of taking you out, but then became realistic in the fact that you aren't even a week old yet and probably don't need to be out and about. Plus, we are still getting used the whole parenting thing and it is very tiring! So, instead of going anywhere or throwing a party (particularly since we don't care about who played) we invited the Gunns over. Curt and Colleen brought Conrad and Everett to hang out and meet you.  Conrad is 6 and Everett is almost 1. Conrad had so much fun holding you and talking to you. He was very emotional when you screamed as I changed your diaper. He felt very strongly that I was hurting you and that I needed to stop. I couldn't explain to him that you were upset and unfortunately that is just what you do right now. Colleen brought us a huge box of clothes for you to have. I am so very grateful that now you have a wardrobe to wear!

Day 7
This morning was a big day! You let me change you diaper this morning for the first time without screaming. It was much more relaxing and easy without you kicking your legs everywhere.

Also this morning while Dad was at work you sat in your swing long enough for me to take a bath to soak. I was very happy about this. We have been working up to you sitting in there for any significant period of time, but you usually cry. So, I was very grateful that you gave me about 15 minutes to soak in order to take some of the pain away.

Later in the day after Dad came home we took you out for our first big shopping excursion. We were out on the prowl getting baby stuff for you and things for me to help with my recovery. You did really well and slept the whole time. What a perfect boy you are!

From Marcus' Blog: Day 4 Of Your Life

Friday was a good day. It was our first full day at home and you did great. The day started off with needing to go to the doctor to have a checkup for you. So, even though you were fast asleep at 7 am, we had to wake you up so we could make it to our eight o'clock appointment. The doctors wanted to check you jaundice level as well as a heart murmur that you had. Everything came back wonderfully, your murmur was gone and the doctor said to just keep an eye on your jaundice. You were down in weight as expected to 7 lbs 13 oz.

Later in the afternoon your grandpa Harper stopped by with a goodie bag for us full of food and even a hodgie (a stuffed hedgehog) for your sister Bailey.

Your Dad's friend Joe and his girlfriend Coco came by to visit you and see us in the evening. We went to bed early like old people! We were in bed upstairs with the tv on by eight o'clock. We had the epiphany that this was our new life, but you are totally worth it!

Today was the day that I had the epiphany that you are totally worth the childbirth pain. It only took me four days of you being alive and for me to be staring at you so incredibly in love to realize that I would go through all of the pregnancy and the pain of the birth once again to have another miracle like you. I thought for sure it would take me longer than four days to say I was ready to go through the pain of childbirth again. You already have me that wrapped around your finger, oh and I don't think your father is far behind!

From Marcus' Blog: Day 3 of Your Life

Thursday was a rough day! We were working on virtually no sleep from the night before and we got discharged, which therefore meant you got circumcised.

We got woken up at 6 in the morning (right about the time you finally went to sleep) by the nurse saying that the doctor was ready to do your circumcision. So they wheeled you off and I slept with your dad for a while. When you came back I asked for the nurses to take you so we could get a little rest. With the sleepless night and no nap the day before, I was exhausted. The break was short lived though because the doctor that did your circumcision came in shortly afterwards to give us care and discharge instructions for you. Then after that my doctor came in to give me discharge instructions. By the time all this had occurred you were ready to eat! 

The nurse manager from the unit came to visit us in the morning and she gave you the cutest Saint Al's bear. I work with her frequently and so we talked a bit about the unit and service that we received. 

Dad and I had our 'celebration breakfast' together with you sleeping soundly in the room. The lactation people came in again to have another consult so that I could ask any final question. After that Dad had to go off to work so it was just you and me again. 

We had the hearing screener come in to do your hearing test. I knew that you weren't going to be ready for your test since she had told me you needed to be in a deep sleep, and because of the circumcision earlier you were very fussy and just wanted to be held. You were just barely sleeping in my arms. However, I let her try since it was the last day in the hospital and I had already put her off the day before because we were so busy. The hearing screening did not go well. You were upset from the very beginning and woke up before she even started the test. We got you to calm down for a few minutes and I thought we were in the clear. Then you got the hiccups and everything spiraled downward. Although you passed the left ear, your right ear wasn't testing properly and you began to cry. It was at this point that I had my first 'mother bear' moment. You were inconsolable and I wanted to help you calm down. When the screener finally realized that you weren't going to calm down she let me pick you up. I was so frustrated at her by this point that I started to get angry. Although I was holding you, you were inconsolable. My heart hurt for your pain and frustration. She finally realized that your ear wasn't going to test and said we could reschedule for another day. Yet she wouldn't take all of the LEDs off of your head. I began to tear up in my frustration at her. I tried explaining to her that you just wanted to eat and be loved and that there was no point in leaving the LEDs on if we weren't going to finish the test. She caved eventually when you wouldn't calm down. It took me quite some time and lots of love to get you to calm down. 

At this point Dad came back and it was time for me to get a massage. Dad held you and kept you calm while I got my massage. The emotions from the week and frustration from earlier made me cry a little as I got my massage. The release of the tension was wonderful and I was glad the massage helped me relax. After the massage we were ready to be discharged. We started packing up our things and the nurse came to give us our discharge instructions. I was so distraught at how you were feeling so I didn't want to subject you to getting changed into the outfit that I had brought. I had this picture perfect idea of how we would be going home. You in your outfit, me having showered with my hair and makeup done and me being wheeled out of the hospital with you in my arms. It was nothing like that, and I am completely okay with that. I have already learned that parenting is full of expectations that can be broken or exceeded. In this case the expectation was broken and I was completely okay with that. 

The car ride home went well, you like the car seat once you calmed down from being put into it. I was so exhausted I tried to sleep when we got home, but you woke up hungry. Grandpa Miklos called and I had a little bit of a breakdown on the phone. I fed you and then I did get a chance to take a shower for the first time since before the delivery. The shower helped tremendously. Grandma Harper came by and brought us food for dinner and spent some time with you. Dad and I had a few minutes to ourselves and got a chance to eat while Grandma held you. After she left we were pretty much ready to go to bed. It was early, but with no sleep the day before or on Thursday we were ready to turn in. 

You slept much better this first night at home. You slept for about two hours at a time and then woke for feedings. I awoke still tired, but feeling much better and with a new outlook on life. At least the first night at home was a successful one!

From Marcus' Blog: Day 2 Of Your Life

The nurses brought you in around 8 o'clock for me to feed you. You were as calm and bright eyed as the evening you were born when the grandparents were visiting. You were also now wearing the cute had that you are seen with in the picture with your dad. Some volunteer makes them and brings them to the hospital for the newborns. You were so precious. We spent the morning loving and cuddling with you in bed.

There were lots of hospital workers in and out all day long. The pediatrician came and visited you. Then we got to see Bryant, Connor's dad. He came in to do a follow up on my anesthesia. It was wonderful to get to talk to him for a little while and see a familiar face.

You had LOTS of visitors on Wednesday! Your first visitor was Carla from my work. Then after her Annie and Stephanie came to visit you. They spent a lot of time giving me support during my pregnancy with you so I was very excited to see them. Each of  them held and loved on you.

We had a short break from visitors and then the photographer came in for your newborn photo shoot. You were wide awake for the whole shoot and did wonderful. The pictures turned out great! We are using them for your birth announcement. A sample of some of them are in this post.

Jake and Jessica stopped by around lunch time to visit you. We spent some time with them and talked about your birth to them. I also had the lactation consultant come during that time so we had our breast feeding lesson while the guys went outside for a walk.

We had a short break again without visitors and had time to spend alone with you and eat some lunch. Dad left for a while to go check in at work and to run home to get some things done around the house. You and I spent alone time in bed before Grandpa Miklos, Great Grandma Casey, and Aunt April stopped by with flowers and gifts. You are the first grandbaby, and great grandbaby on both sides of the family so you are VERY loved and have tons of people that were excited to see you in the hospital. It was Great Grandma Casey’s and Aunt April's first time getting to meet you. Aunt April loved your cute little nose!

After they left Aunt Megan showed up with flowers and a gift as well. She spent some time holding you and we caught up just the two of us for a little while. A bit later two more co-workers, Nancy and Dahl stopped by to say hi. Everyone wanted to meet the beautiful baby Marcus! You were passed around and were a perfect angel, not making a sound as everyone loved on you. The last visitors of the evening were another co-worker, Teresa (she brought you the cutest Boise State track suit) and your Grandma Harper. 

Once everyone left Dad and I ate dinner and by then we were tired. We were ready to go to sleep by 8! We dozed off with you in the room with us. You didn't sleep very well on this night... you were up constantly and wanted to be held a lot. Although Dad slept off and on, I didn't get very much sleep. It was my first experience with a virtually sleepless night. I promise you are worth all of the sleepless nights up to this point and all of the ones to come!