Home from the hospital

About 40 hours after Henry was born, the nurse came into our hospital room and told us that the doctor said we were free to go home; both Henry and his mom were looking fine. This news was both exciting and a bit nerve-racking. We still seemed to have so many questions, and it had been so nice to be able to just pop my head out of the door and ask a nurse for advice. But, we were looking forward to the added privacy, space, and meal options at home, so we bravely dressed Henry in his coming-home outfit, strapped him into his car seat (the nurses helped his straps get so snug that it looked like he was in secure enough to be in a spaceship), and took him outside for the very first time to get in the car for the short drive home.

I'd like to say that Henry likes his home and bedroom, but the truth is that at his age he can't really focus his eyes on anything. He does seem to be a pretty calm, peaceful kid, though.

Once he got home, Henry's bilirubin count tested a bit high, so the doctor's office sent out little bright light unit that Henry is to spend as much time as possible in. Gratefully, Henry's Nana (Tricia's mom) offered to stay with us for a few days, so she or I are constantly in the room with him when he's sunbathing. The problem is that when he squirms around, the eye shades shift and no longer shelter his eyes from the bright light, so we need to regularly reposition them. We've discovered that putting a hat on his head helps a lot in keeping them in position.



In any case, my time on Henry duty has given me unexpected waking hours in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, they aren't the most coherent hours, but it's nice to have time to read, post blog articles, and just spend time watching our little son and admiring his functioning body. I have always looked forward to being a dad, but it's something else to actually be given the chance to be one. I've been surprised that changing diapers really isn't as bad as I had feared--it's Tricia's job to feed him, and my job to change his diapers. I'm always thrilled when I check his diaper and it needs to be changed, since that means his body is working correctly. Also, hearing Henry cry is not upsetting to me. At this point of his life, crying shows good communication skills, and it's a (sometimes challenging) detective game to figure out which response (change diaper, feed, burp, swaddle, cuddle) he'd like.

We are very grateful to our Heavenly Father for sending Henry to our family.

Our new life as parents

For the past week or so, Tricia and I have enjoyed watching the Australian Open on ESPN360.com. Even though we don't have cable TV, ESPN has been live streaming matches online. Even better, you can switch from one court to another to choose who you watch, so in some ways this is arguably better than TV.

We never tire of watching Roger Federer win, so last night after Henry went to sleep (we're still at the hospital) I told Trish that Federer was playing that night and asked if she wanted to watch. "Sure," she said, out of habit. However, as she thought about it more, she decided that it would probably be better to sleep while Henry did so she could have energy later in the night to get up with him. Strangely, my thoughts had progressed exactly the same way. I pulled out my hospital chair that turns into a skinny hide-a-bed and tried to get some sleep.

Henry continues to be a pretty loved kid. He met both sets of grandparents yesterday as well as more of his aunts and uncles. When his grandparents came to visit, both Tricia and I were a bit tired and wondered if this was the best time to be entertaining. However, the excitement and pride that we felt from all of them buoyed us both up. As they reminded us how much they had all prayed for Henry's safe arrival, we felt the powerful strength that comes from having loving extended family nearby.

Here's a picture of his Grandpa "Papa Newman" and Aunt Christy somewhat excited to be visiting Henry.


And finally, two Henry updates:

#1: He had his first smile yesterday. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it, but he has a cute dimple on his right cheek.
#2: He actually slept quite a bit last night. We're a bit worried since that means he didn't eat much, but we're glad that we have more energy to start today.

Henry's here!

Henry Matthew Sederberg was born on January 27,2010. 8 lbs 7 oz and 19.5 inches long!

Henry was due to be born on the palendromic day of 01/22/10, but decided to stay in the womb a bit longer. Yesterday morning, at our scheduled non-stress test at the hospital, the technician discovered that there was very little amniotic fluid left, so they decided to induce labor immediately. Tricia and I were both kind of hoping for this--we were getting impatient to meet our son.

After Tricia's labor was induced, Henry came quickly--in only 5.5 hours. Tricia only had to push for about 30 minutes.

I was so impressed with Tricia throughout the whole process--labor, delivery, and then trying to feed Henry throughout the night last night. She was quite calm, often expressing gratitude towards our helpful nurses, and has an amazingly deep love and patience for Henry, even in the middle of the night. I was grateful that she'll be his mom.

We are excited to have Henry as part of our family.

simple pleasures

Pondering about and praying for those in Haiti has helped open my eyes to the simple nuances of our lives. What I have enjoyed today:

• mandarin mango handsoap
• a magpie on our fence
• a clean kitchen
• scanning pictures from my courtship with Matt--I love that man!
• a healthy, kicking baby in my tummy

These simplicities help my heart feel tender.

God bless those in Haiti to feel peace in the face of such devastation and destruction.

getting closer

In all the craziness that was the holidays, I continued to get bigger as Henry continued to grow inside of me. We are now 9 days from the official due date, which means I need to finish the nursery, get packed for the hospital, finish decorating projects, clean and clean and clean, and be sure to rest. Well, we'll get there--eventually.

And I kind of have a feeling that Henry will come when he is good and ready. If he comes early, he will have inherited his dad's punctuality; if he comes late, he will have inherited his mom's timetable. Either way, we are very excited to welcome him here.

(Doesn't Matthew look pretty handsome in a beard? He let it grow out over the holidays, but now he shaves consistently every day. Too bad; I kind of like the professor look.)