Ketchup--July

Road trip to Butte's Folk Festival

Brrrr... cold in the van!

Baby's first breakdown--Jefferson City

Playing under the sheets

Newfound Toes

Kickin' it at Hugo's crib

"What's this?"

Uncle Coop

Ketchup--June

Learning to fly with Mama

Reviewing some statistical projections

Hopping with Papa

Showing some style at Coop's party

Beauty Totem

Mr. Serious--all grown up

Independence!

Bath-time with Mavis

House of the Rising Son

Hugo’s site seems to grow in one-month increments… every day.  We look up and another week has passed!  Some moments are treacherous, others are (for lack of a better word) priceless.  The smiles and stare-offs often lead to mental meanders about how brilliantly orchestrated our global existence has been.  Three months down the line, I wonder why we couldn’t leave the hospital without watching videos about not shaking the baby; sometimes a mild shake is the only motion that leads him to sleep.  I muse at the ergonomics that placed a nipple in the crux of an elbow—exactly where a baby with no sight can find a source for all its sustenance.  Smiles are some of the first human facial expressions; we are all gifted with innate abilities to coax a meal from the sleepless.  It’s too easy to take for granted until observed through the eyes of parents.  The time has been sacred and the words are lacking!

 

What month??



There's nothing like a running time stamp to remind a person how fast time blows by... the last entry dates back to one month ago!  Those of you who already have children are probably giggling at how much we have yet to learn!  Among other things, in one month, Hugo has:

Taken a trip to Seattle

Daddy recklessly suggested a trip to Seattle that proved to be both fun and stressful... Hugo kept his cool better than both parents combined!  A good time was had by all--despite the fact that Hugo caught a severe case of wanderlust along the way.  Perhaps, one day, he'll make a fine city chap; we hope it will be Paris.

Hugo brings out the sunshine down by the ocean



Another Room With A View



Modeled hand-stitched baby clothing made by great-grandmas and great-great-grandmothers



I'm too sexy for my crib...



There is nothing better than hand-me-down baby clothing that has traversed thousands of miles and several generations.  My mother handed some down with direct instructions that the clothes (hand-stitched by old French ladies) were to be worn for photo shoots only and promptly repacked for another generation!  Who's next?!

Melted our hearts and proven to be the best baby that we've ever had

 

No news is good news

Home is precisely what the doctor ordered!  It's been nearly a week since our return and not much has happened; we've put a sign on the door to assure that we aren't disturbed, we've only had a couple visitors, we're falling into a comfortable and sometimes challenging routine.  All is well!  I find myself wondering when I'll be ready to see people again--things are so nice on Planet Baby!  Anyways, since we aren't letting you in, we'll shoot some more photos out there~

Better late than never

Who wants to go home?

We finally made it home!!  It turns out that our discharge from the hospital was complete at 1 pm yesterday; due to a lack of communication, we didn't get out until 9 pm!  Staff must have thought that we didn't "really" want to leave.  All is well that ends well!  We are probably going to board up the doors and windows at home for a week until we've settled into a normal, human routine.  Hopefully those who are dying to see Hugo will be able to forgive us for the wait.  What a couple of weeks: anything to make sure that both baby and mama are comfortable and healthy!

The face of things to come

Home is where the heart is

The peak of hospital efficiency has passed; the more we stay here, the worse we feel.  Hugo spent a couple nights in NICU before the staff felt comfortable letting him out.  His blood culture didn't show any serious oddities and his antibiotics were completely administered.  Last night, we were all reuinited in "our room" for a fairly peaceful night.  Amy was supposed to be discharged by midnight but ended up "needing" observation for a little longer because her blood pressure is high.  In my unprofessional opinion, anyone who has spent 9 months gestating, 5 days contracting, undergone a surgery, and then heard that their first-born son might be sick should have an elevated blood pressure.  What I would prescribe is a calm ride home and sleep, sleep, eat, sleep for a week straight.  Hugo is on the verge of being discharged and is napping a bunch with Ma in the meantime.  We were glad to show up here and we'll be even happier to get the "all clear" signal!

"our room" with a view

 

I just ran into a buddy down the hall whose wife is presently in labor.  I'm starting to feel like I live here and need to greet people!  Seeing him reminds me of where we were at just a week ago.  A week ago, going on six months!  All in due time--the important part of the equation is that both mother and child (although distressed) are in fine health.  Nothing some rest, nutrition, and calm won't fix!