Home Sweet Home

Ok, forget all that emotion stuff I talked about yesterday. I got pretty verklempt as we headed home this afternoon. There was something about the calmness and serenity of the hospital and all the help that gave Amanda and I almost a false sense of security.

And suddenly there I was, pulling the car up to the outpatient roundabout seeing Amanda, sitting in a wheelchair with Harper in the car seat and the weight of all this came crashing down. The big world awaited this new Savage family and as I turned out of the hospital on to the road home, Amanda and I each had a bit of a meltdown. Not in a sad or scared way but more so in recognition of all that we had been thru the past few days and in anticipation of what was to come. It was a very surreal moment.

Harper has been doing very well since we arrived home. All of Amanda's immediate family is with us. Her parents, sister and husband and their two kids. Alex and Abby (Harper's 1st cousins) were so excited to meet Harper and quickly took a shine to her. Steph and Kent (Amanda's sister and husband) came to the room earlier in the day so Alex and Abby were the only ones who had not met her yet and although they were anxious they were calm and almost a bit mesmerized. There was a bit of rivalry over who would hold her and for how long, etc, etc but all in all they were great with her.

Amanda was diligent all day in breastfeeding on schedule and hopefully Harper will sleep well tonight except when we have to wake up for early feedings. This should be the interesting test as the sleep deprivation begins to set in. I worry a bit about having to go back to work on Monday but thankfully the semester is almost over and I will have May and June for lots of daddy/daughter time.

Amanda's folks will be here for at least 5 or so more days which will be a big help as I transition back to work and she has Dr's appointments and so forth.

Bit less of a blog tonight and I know I won't be blogging every day of Harpers life. Now that we are going to try and settle into some sort of routine I hope that I use this forum to record not only the important moments in her life, but the lessons that Amanda and I will learn along the way.

Let the adventure begin.