1 Week Down...

The first week after we got home from the hospital was awesome. Team Estes (i.e. Nick & Kristi) figured out parenthood quickly as we were thrown into lack of sleep on the first night.

When we got home from the hospital, we didn't realize that if we let Samantha sleep all afternoon and into the evening, that she wasn't going to sleep well at night. After getting past the first night, we learned to try and keep her up as much as we could during the day. It's tough to wake a sleeping baby, but we found that diaper changes and cold wash cloths can help do the trick.

The first week was full of plenty of excitement for us which included: a trip to the pediatrician, 2 trips out of the house alone, an ambulance ride with ER visit and one trip to the vet.

Our first pediatrician appointment went well. They were a little concerned with her weight and wanted us to come back for a re-weigh. Her re-weigh appointment on Tuesday had her gain 12 oz...she is up to 7lbs 5oz.

Kristi and I made it out for dinner one night and also went shopping for an hour to our local Target and Kohl's. Unfortunately, shopping only 5 days after major surgery is not recommended. Kristi was pretty sore after a stroll around Kohl's.

On Saturday, we started out our morning with a little bit of excitement, which included a 911 call, and a trip to the hospital for Kristi. Without getting in to too much detail...Kristi was in a lot of pain around her incision and couldn't move. After a full day in the ER, they determined that her uterus may still have a little more contracting to go through. In the end, this kind of news was a relief as both Samantha and I were afraid that there may be some internal bleeding or complications as a result of Kristi's surgery.

Just when we thought all of the drama was over, I decided to take Bailey for a long walk with Mark & Kayla. Towards the end of our walk, Bailey developed a bad limp which forced me to carry her for part of the way home. We took her to the vet and they loaded her up on pain killers and arthritis medicine and strict orders that she is not to go on 2 mile walks any more.

Through all of this excitement, Samantha was an angel. She loves to be held and to rest on our chest. Samantha is also full of noises. She cracks us up when she's laying in her bassinet and is trying to break free from her swaddle. I guess her grunts and noises are her way of talking to us.

I went back to work on Monday. It has been a little bit of a transition (even though i only spend 1 week at home for paternity leave), but I was able to get back into the swing of things at work. I keep a picture of Samantha on my computer screen. A couple of times a day, I find myself scrolling through the pictures online (link). I love driving home every night, looking forward to seeing my wife and daughter...and of course Bailey. As of right now...Bailey is the only one that comes running to the door all excited when I walk in. It won't be too long until Samantha comes running too!