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Wow, having a healthy baby is awesome!  It was so relaxing to just hang out in our hospital room with our baby.  No trips to the special care nursery, no pumping schedule, no weighing diapers, no cords or IV's - just one on one time with the baby.  We took full advantage of the fact that we could just hang out and get to know our new baby.  Here is Brandon snuggling with Derrick.  

 Here I am nursing Derrick.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I actually enjoy nursing again.  I don't know if it's because I know what I'm doing this time, or if it's because Derrick was able to nurse right after he was born, but this time it is so much easier.  I like that Derrick is big because it makes him easy to hold. He eats about every 3 hours.  He latches on tight and then sucks for about 20 minutes.  Then he just falls off when he is done and goes back to sleep.

Derrick is basically always asleep.  And even when he is awake he seems asleep because he doesn't open his eyes much.  This whole new-newborn stage is pretty foreign to us.  Last time around the girls were barely breathing on their own at this point.  I didn't get to try to nurse Lydia until the night of our second full day in the hospital and I didn't even hold Charlotte until the morning after that.  Even so, I think that Derrick is much calmer than the girls were at this point.  I remember Lydia crying until she turned red.  And when she nursed she would keep her eyes wide open.  And Charlotte would get worked up trying to eat.  Derrick is pretty chill.    

Last night Brandon figured out who Derrick reminds him of.  It's the dad from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  Can you see the resemblance?

Brandon left the hospital for a little while yesterday.  He came back with 12 dozen roses for me. There are 3 red ones representing me, 3 yellow for Lydia, 3 pink for Charlotte, and 3 purple ones for Derrick (they don't have blue roses).  He bought the big vase so we can put a beta fish in it one day.

 We enjoyed our two day stay in the hospital, but started getting a little stir crazy last night.  Then early this morning just as we were all settled back in our beds after nursing and changing Derrick the pediatrician walked in!  I thought to myself, "THAT'S IT!  I'm sick of being interrupted. We're going home ASAP."  So as soon as we were cleared by our doctors we got ready to go.  We left just before 10:00.  Here are Derrick and me looking like non-patients and about to leave our room. (We're an Army family now so of course he's in camo)

 We went home where I could actually get some uninterrupted sleep in a level bed.  Brandon cleaned the house while I rested.

 And then at 5:00 my Mom brought the girls home.  Charlotte and Lydia poked Derrick in the nose a few more times and then basically ignored him.

 Later we set them all up on the couch for this picture.  They like their new brother, but I don't think they understand that he will be living with us.

Let the adventures begin!