Noe's First Sponge Bath and More

A Couple Shots for the Grandparents to Sleep On

Why do I find my baby's poop more disgusting than my dog's?

The second night at home was 10,000% better than the first. A little knowledge and a plan go a long way.

Pretty much nothing that seemed like a smart idea before we went to sleep on Friday held up well in the light of day Saturday:

Feeding Noelle whenever she started crying--bad idea. Feeding her in our bedroom instead of anywhere else in the house--bad idea. Keeping Noelle's basket adjacent to our bed--bad idea. Not waking Jen's mom to beg for help 3 hours earlier--bad idea.

But yesterday and last night were much smoother. It's amazing how quickly you learn which clothes work best, which feeding patterns work best, how to burp a baby and, in my case, how to change a poopy diaper. (And I'm sure I'll quickly get used to the poop, just like I did for Ooja.)

Noelle Comes Home

We came home from the hospital this afternoon. Everyone's well.

Ooja and Noelle had their first meeting. Noelle was a bit of a curiosity--Ooja licked her feet--but not much more.

I think I'm going to be making a run to Target this evening for all those things I didn't realize we needed. And maybe for ice cream as well.

Day 2

15-20 hospital staff in the door before 10:00 am. Blood from Jen, blood from Noelle, pediatrician, nurses, OB1 (no relation to the Jedi master of similar name), OB2, more nurses, food service, lactation consultant, chaplain, medical records, custodian. These people are wonderfully helpful. And plentiful. Really, really plentiful.

Noelle and Jen are doing great. Noelle looks so different today from yesterday.

And yes, both Jen and I almost called her "Ooja" on separate occasions. We'll need to get that worked out.

The Newest Richman

Noelle Marie Richman was born this morning, August 23rd, at 6:30 a.m. at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City.

7 lbs., 6 oz. 20 1/2 inches.

Mother and daughter are both doing well. Father beat the odds and did not pass out at any time during the delivery. Ooja the dog is anxious to meet her little sister.

Stay tuned to this site for more posts (and better photos) in the coming days.