First week with Reese

No matter how long it lasts, a hospital stay is never easy. With Callie, we entered the hospital on a Monday night and didn't leave until Saturday. With Reese, it was a much shorter experience, lasting from Friday night to Monday afternoon. But it may have been a bit crazier because we weren't only dealing with the constant interruptions of nurses or the newborn who had joined our lives, but also had to make sure that Callie was adjusting well to our new reality.

Reese seemed to adjust quite well to her new reality. Here she is, resting on an afghan knitted by Sarah's Great Aunt Lorraine. Although Reese is only two days old in this picture, she was already showing signs of being a pretty mellow baby who is able to endure the love of all of those around her - especially her big sister Callie.


We managed to have Callie visit every day. Thanks to a mid-December snowstorm that closed her daycare, Callie even spent most of the last day with us. It was enlightening to entertain a three-year-old in a hospital room for over five hours in the midst of everything else.



But there were moments of beauty in the chaos, and the above picture is evidence of one of those moments. It was awesome to watch how Callie was excited to meet her little sister. She constantly wanted to hold her and kiss her. And although we tried to keep her runny nose away from her face and hands, the love was simply too much to contain. And while this is moving beyond the first week, we can report that Reese is only now recovering from the first cold she caught from her loving sister.

Of course, maybe if Reese kept her mouth closed she wouldn't catch illnesses so easily. We kid. This was just a picture that needed to be included. Both Reese and Callie seemed to sleep a lot like most infants do, but also had numerous instances where they were awake, alert, and aware of their surroundings. And in those moments we could not keep our eyes off of her.


There comes a time for every parent, a moment of truth, when you realize the hospital is going to let you leave with the kid. Then there's the time when you realize you are going home with a big kid and a newborn. Life is truly going to be different from this point forward. Fortunately, Reese is already buckled up for the ride. We should probably do the same.



Although you cannot see it, Callie is proudly sporting her "Big Sister" t-shirt. She is very excited about it. In fact, she wore it to daycare her first day back and told everyone who listened about Reese Harper, her baby sister. it's pretty cool.


Although this is round two for us, it is still incredible to see how tiny a newborn is. It's also wonderful to see how easy it is to pose them for pictures. Put on a cute outfit, prop up a few pillows, and instant cuteness. Here Reese is wearing her 2010 white penguin sweatsuit from Carters. And she wears it well, if we must say so ourselves.


The more things change, the more they stay the same. A newborn tires everyone out. And there is nothing so sleep inducing as a baby sleeping on your chest. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved. Indeed, we are happy to be home and have successfully begun the adjustments to life as a family of four.