Hospital shots 2/27 and 28

Day 4: Everything's coming up Eli

Photo by Dad, baby by Gorgeous-Babies-R-Us.

Eli is sleeping and feeding like a champ. His jaundice has plateaued, but he's still on the UV blanket for now. We've developed a 3-hour round-the-clock routine: wake him up, get him naked, keep him awake long enough to eat (this requires various entertaining noises and stimulation techniques, such as intensive stomach raspberries), burp him, wrap him up in the UV blanket again and all three of us pass out until the next alarm goes off. Repeat. Our bedroom is our universe. My incredibly helpful mom is taking care of basically everything else: feeding us, doing our laundry, running out for groceries. I'm so grateful she is here.

We feel the love pouring in from all of you and will be in touch as things normalize. Until then, keep little Eli in your thoughts and enjoy this gorgeous sunshine. It looks beautiful on the snow from our bedroom window! -- Katie

Home at last

We're home! We've got another bili check at the hospital tomorrow morning, but until then, we're just a little family in Carrboro.

Still in the hospital

First things first: he's doing great.

Yesterday Eli developed some jaundice that our wonderful doctor (Cory Annis) wanted to see treated, so we're still in the hospital while he chills out under some UV lights, snarfs as much breastmilk as we can coax out, and slowly but surely pees and poops away all that icky bilirubin.

I'm feeling pretty good, despite Daniel and I having a combined sleep quotient of about 10 hours over the past 5 days. I was discharged from the midwife service yesterday, so we got booted from our comfy room. Now all three of us are cozily (note my use of euphemism) holed up in a tiny room next to the newborn nursery with poor Daniel sleeping on the floor. We have taken turns totally losing our shit over the last few days due to sleeplessness, overwhelming love and concern for our infant, gigantic hormone shifts and the requisite hospital shenanigans, but the upshot is that everyone is fine and healthy, this is a treatable problem, and we will eventually be home.

The weather, however, is throwing a wrench into that plan at this point, as the required staff did not make it in today in order to procure the UV blanket we need to keep treating this at home. We'll make it through, though. Having a kid (I had heard but now know for 100% sure) taps unknown reserves of strength and determination that have kept us going five times beyond what we thought we could handle. We're a little family now and we would do anything for each other. If the stars align, we'll be home tonight, but tomorrow is looking more likely. Keep fingers crossed. Love to all.

40 weeks, 1 day: Elijah David arrives!

Eli made his dramatic entrance at 3:25pm on February 27th, 2009, weighing 7lbs 8oz, after an epic labor that began 37 hours before. He couldn't be sweeter, we couldn't be more excited and in love. Thanks to all for so many sweet text messages, email and voicemails. We'll be in touch gradually as we settle into our new lives!

Stay tuned for more...

39 weeks: false alarm!

On Thursday morning a week before the due date, we were pretty sure my water had broken. We called the midwife and the doula, my mom got on a plane from Seattle, we loaded up the car. No real contractions were happening 4 hours later, so off we went to the hospital to see what was what. According to their tests, my water did not appear to be broken. Their best theory was that I developed a leak of amniotic fluid from somewhere that then sealed itself off again. So here we are 48 hours later with no sign of ongoing labor. Mom is settling in for what could be an extended visit. Meanwhile, we're enjoying the time we have left as a bunch of independent well-slept adults, and eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Nugget and the complete and total upheaval of our lives. Woohoo!

Dance of the sugar plum fairies -- 38 weeks

This one really doesn't need a caption.