Our own primary (photos)

Loki is growing a tiny bit everyday. While folding laundry I bumped into his first outfits and could barely believe how small they were. I will bring them in sometime to take pictures. Loki is 2620 grams and is fitting easily in newborn clothes (see the outfit Nana?). He looks so much more solid and it is much easier to handle him. Of course he is getting stronger as well, and his head is no longer flopping around like a Raggedy Ann doll. He continues to prefer holding his head to the right side, and almost consistently moves his head from left to right when prone (tummy). It is amazing to me to see him lift up his head and make the turn. Sometimes taking a break mid move, planting his face straight down on the mattress, one of those reasons why stomach sleeping is no longer advised ones at home.

Yesterday (Saturday), we had our own primary for the very first time since we are at CHO. Her name is Libby, and we asked her to primary last weekend. She works pm shifts in the weekends, and we really, really like her. She is friends with Lisa's family which makes it feel even more comfortable, and she just seems to give Loki, and us, that extra care we are so used to at Alta Bates. We are hoping Loki has her again tonight.......

To answer the FAQ about how I, mom, am doing. I am very, very tired, as you can see on the picture below. I am very grateful that dad is doing as much as he does to keep the household running, because I spend a lot of time in the hospital. It is exhausting to be the hospital day in day out, CHO is almost always noisy and the light is bright. There is no calm space to withdraw and really take a rest. However, it is just a little too far from home to easily go there and get stuff done between breastfeeding. Although Loki is doing much, much better with the breastfeeding when he is awake and hungry, he is usually somewhat asleep two out of three times. This makes breastfeeding frustrating at times. The problem is that he has no time to get hungry again as they put him, understandably so, on a tight schedule. When I am there, most day nurses over the past few days leave us be. I appreciate this in general, but they tend to to step in mainly to sort of tell me what I should do different: start earlier with the breastfeeding, never mind he is still asleep and shows no hunger signs; don't push his feeding tube back into his nose by myself, despite the fact I told them 20 minutes ago it was really coming out; use a different kind of cream for his diaper etc. etc.

Summarized, I am done with this hospital experience and want to have sleepless nights at home with our little guy waking us up when he is hungry or gassy grunting and groaning.

Loki and his beloved musical bear:


Chubby cheeks again (in real life the cheeks look less chubby by the way):


Oversight of Loki's room:


Sleepy baby:


Sleepy mommy: