we did it. he is finally here, we are finally home from the hospital, and we are finally all together, finding our way as a family of six. i am feeling pretty good, really, despite having gotten a spinal headache after my c-section, and am just happy to be home. i soak up as much as i can of this little boy, knowing he is our last and wish so hard and pray in vain that he will stay this small forever. i love loving on him and try do it as much as i can without compromising meeting the needs of my 3 other children. he is so sweet and content, he sleeps like a champ, giving me 6 or 7 hours most nights already, and puts up with all the little hands that want to touch and grab and play with him all the time. he's beautiful and has completely stolen my heart. it's hard not to get emotional about really. i just can't imagine being any happier. we are complete. and we are so blessed.
i'd like for you to meet grant. grant quen. or mr. GQ as my dear friend so aptly refers to him. weighing in at 8lbs, 9oz, measuring 20 inches long, and arriving at 1:05pm on october 20th, this little guy is as healthy as can be and we are so grateful. he has a big, round head and hank always jokes about needing to find newborn clothing with neck holes that are 6-12 months. it's no joke... it probably is a good thing he came out via c-section - who knows if i would have been able to get that kid out on my own! he also has broad shoulders and tiny little legs - i think he looks like those cartoon super heroes who sort of take a V shape: skinny at the bottom and wide on top. he's perfect, and i love to just stare at him. and stare some more. and stare some more. i remember doing that with beth, thinking it might get old and i'd do it less and less with each baby that followed, but it doesn't. it never gets old. i could just hold him and look at him for hours.
the other kids are great with him. beth, of course, wants to play mom and pick him up and carry him around (uh, i don't think so), and is the first to run to his aid and try to soothe him when he starts to cry. hyde doesn't give him a whole lot of attention, which is probably a good thing, since he tends to break about 85% of everything in his wake. and leah... leah's a bit funny about it. she loves him, loves to pet his head and play with his hands - even hold him on the rare occasion that we let her, but she's also turned a bit more feisty (is that even possible? now i know the answer is yes), toward her dad and i. the first week home was especially rough, and it's starting to thin out more now, but i can tell that she's bummed out about having been left for 3 1/2 days, and about not being the baby/center of attention anymore. but it's okay, we're all adjusting a little bit. the funny thing is, at the hospital when she saw him for the fist time it was almost like she recognized him. she jumped right up on the bed so she could get close to him and she would just look and smile at him, her hands rubbing his tummy the whole time. when we finally let beth hold him on the couch there, she wanted to lay right by him and keep her head just as close to his as she could. for not thinking she had any clue what was coming to our family beforehand, it sure was a surprise to see her react to so warmly to her newest brother. it was one of those things that just melts your heart right to the floor and you wish you could hold on to the moment forever.
we love this little boy so much. he couldn't be any more perfect or bring us any more joy. welcome to the world mr GQ.
see the rest of the pictures from the hospital here: and there are just a few...
