It's Been One Week

Raise your hand if you heard the Barenaked Ladies 'singing'* when you read the title of this post. 🙋

*Is "Chickity China, the Chinese Chicken" really singing?

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Today was Henry's original due date.*

**Yes, and normally also tax day.' Our first thought when they told us as well. We just figured he might end up being an accountant with a great back story.

I can't even imagine having one less week with him.

It has been quite a week of life for this little one, filled with pokes and prods and tests, and, yes, major surgery. 

He has already demonstrated incredible resilience and a ferocious appetite. (FEROCIOUS. No one I tell this to seems at all surprised. I guess I have a reputation for eating all the time or something. 😂)

Henry has even been breastfeeding (see Exhibit A of milk drunkenness above) which I didn't think would happen for a month. As a reminder, we didn't even think we would hold him for weeks, so I shouldn't be surprised anymore at the expectations he continues to exceed.

We have been so incredibly well supported here, with doctors and nurses who clearly care about not only Henry's well-being, but ours. We had to say goodbye to the nurse who we have had all but one day we've been here yesterday, because she is now off for the next week, and we all knew Henry was doing so well that we would, in all likelihood, be gone before she came back to work. 

It's amazing how quickly you come to count on the nurses. You have to trust them (and hopefully like them) because you leave your precious kiddo in their hands any time you are away (and also when you are here.) 

In addition to monitoring Henry's life, they will also help you try to get newborn hand and footprints. As you can see, Henry was much more amenable to the footprints, but he did not like the combination of our nurse holding his hand open and his mama pressing the baby book down on top of him.

We tried.

To celebrate Henry's first week of life,  members of the Child Life brought him some toy blocks, a scented lamb named Lenny (who will battle Gerald the Elephant and his penguin pacifier for best friend status), and some colored pencils for when he has developed fine motor skills.

To celebrate his first week of life, Henry also decided he was ready to go home.

The doctors agreed.

So, if his discharge echocardiogram goes well today, and he passes all his other tests, we will be starting his second week of life on the road home to La Crosse tomorrow, at least three weeks earlier than we had anticipated.

(Ready or not....here it comes.)