The First Days with a Baby

The next two days in the hospital went by quickly. Barry's parents (who from this point forward will be referred to as Nonna and Poppa) and Lydia spent the weekend in Dothan. MyGoo, Doc, Ann Steiner, and Amelia also visited as well as a number of friends and co-workers in Dothan. Because Canon was born so late in the night, we were able to spend an extra night in the hospital. Barry was not crazy about this idea because he had to spend another night on a hard couch. I, on the other hand, was thrilled to have an extra night of nurses. Finally, we came home on Sunday, March 15. Canon wore the same bubble-suit that Barry wore home when he was born. Nonna, Poppa, and Lydia were waiting for us when we arrived to help get us settled in. MyGoo showed up later that day to help me out with my next few days as Mom.
Those days were, surprisingly, easy. Canon was a great baby. He ate on a fairly regular schedule, slept a lot, and was easily entertained when he was awake. He loved sitting in a his vibrating rocking chair and looking around the room. He also loved to be held on my shoulder so that he could observe the world around him. Though his first bath was a little stressful (as you can see), he quickly developed a love for water, and bathtime became easier for everyone. We rocked on the porch, took walks around the neighborhood, and took mini-roadtrips around town. Target was the place we most frequented, usually to develop new pictures of Canon. We also rejoined our friends at our weekly Thursday Night Kyoto Gathering. I was thrilled to be eating the sushi I had given up during pregnancy!

I loved being home with Canon those first weeks of his life. Even Barry couldn't stay away for too long. He would occasionally come home from work in the middle of the day just to hold him. Infancy, however, was not Barry's favorite part of parenthood. At night, he was always eager to hold Canon, then hand him back five minutes later when he realized that laying there was the most Canon could do. We were both surprised to see how quickly Canon grew and developed. Soon he was smiling and playing, and Barry suddenly wanted to hold him for much longer periods of time.