Halloween 2012 - Henry's First!

Halloween is by far my (Rachel posting here) FAVORITE holiday and Bret's.... well, least. As such I was in charge of costumes, but opted for something simple this year as I knew I wouldn't be in the mood for something elaborate just a month after giving birth. So say hello to our baby tiger!

For future reference Henry - the Giants were playing the Detroit Tigers during Halloween in 2012 for the World Series and I couldn't show you off as grandly as I had planned. I didn't want anyone thinking we were traitors! I brought you into the IRC office and got some pics.

Later that day you proved to already be a baby genius - we had our doubts up until this point, but we were quickly convinced by this new trick.

Baby Mittens

Due to the cute factor of babies in mittens, it had become Henry's nickname. It make no logical sense, but it is adorable none the less. He loves them so much that he struck a pose.

Daddy & Me

Bret enjoying some snuggle time with his new best friend. The first few days he slept a lot - he's since discovered his vocal cords :)

Growing baby

Doctor Appt today.  Henry has already gained 1/2 pound!

-Bret

Mobile Stimulation

-Bret

Henry comes home!

Henry in the carseat ready to bust out of the ICU...

After several days of running back and forth to the hospital and a few restless nights of sleep, we were able to take Henry home for good.  It was exciting to finally get a chance to see him in the nursery that we had been putting together for the last few months.  Rachel picked out colors and theme and I put together everything.  Cribs are surprisingly easy...giraffe lamps take a bit more time!

Nursery (pre-Henry)

He has been a terrific sleeper during the day.  He sleeps about 2-3 hours at a time between feedings.  He so far loves the swing and being held.  He also has done well in his crib as long as he has some background music or noise.  Apparently has extended stay in the ICU got him acclimated to noise and lights and when it is too quiet he gets a little fussy.

We quickly discovered that our kid is a night owl.  He is most active from 11pm-4am.  This mostly involves him moving around - flailing arms, eyes looking everywhere - but he actually gets so worked up that he starts to cry.  He's pretty easy to console but it quickly wears off.  It was cute the first night, but I am hoping this activeness switches over to the daytime - for everyone's sake!

-Bret

ICU for 6 days

We never did completely figure out what caused his infection; however, he responded well to the antibiotics and each day he got a little stronger.

Rachel developed a low grade temperature and required some antibiotics which extended her stay for a day in the hospital, but this ended up being a bit of a blessing. Henry was in a different part of the hospital, but it was a quick elevator ride to see him, and it was nice to be able to run up and see him as much as we wanted while Rachel was in the hospital.

Once Rachel got discharged, we had to run back and forth to the hospital which added a bit of a logistical challenge.  Luckily the hospital was not too far away.  We were lucky to have some family and friend support through all of this which helped tremendously to not have to worry about meals or running errands.

Grandpa feeding Henry

Henry spent a total of 6 days in the ICU.  It was a challenging 6 days, but it was made infinitely easier by a dedicated and caring staff at the hospital.  We are thankful for their help throughout this.  Our hearts go out to the other families that had little ones in the ICU and we hope that they can make it home soon with healthy little ones!
-Bret