Tess, Day Two

Tess's birth and first two days have been such a different experience for Amy and me than what we had with Owen & Gus. With the boys being premature the doctors and nurses swept them away in an incubator the second they were born. For the first two weeks of their lives Amy & I came to the hospital every day to visit the boys in the NICU. We scrubbed our hands clean, put on hospital gowns, sorted through the maze of wires that were attached to their bodies, and negotiated the beeping monitors in order to bond with Owen and Gus. So while we certainly formed a bond with the boys, it was much more of a process to endure than this time around. From the moment Tess was born and cleared for landing, the nurse handed her back to us and said, "Here's your daughter, congratulations."

The past two days for us have been wonderful because everything has stopped. Nana, Granddaddy, GJ and Pappy are all here to help take care of the boys -- and my how Amy & I are grateful to have the grandparents taking care of under-the-weather boys. Dealing with work and the sea of unread emails is a distant worry far out of our minds. The singular focus of the past two days has been parent and child. What a fantastic way to spend the day.


Amy B cradles her bundle.

Tess and Dad share a nap.

Nana and Granddaddy get a glimpse of their new granddaughter.

Tess is no match for GJ's shoulder...

...nor Pappy's.

Amy & I so wanted the boys to bond with their new sister that we braved their cruddy coughs for five minutes so they could meet Tess at the hospital. We were very glad we did as the boys gushed over her. Owen presented his baby jaguar -- as permanent a fixture to Owen as the blanket is to Linus -- to Tess to kiss her foot. And sweet little Gus -- who lately has turned into his Mom's little boy -- wanted nothing more than to hold his baby sister.

Ah, the times to come. Cheers!