Home.

We were able to bring Charlie home on Thursday, as planned.  Unfortunately, we also brought a bilibed home with us.

Here's a picture from the hospital.  My parents came to visit the day Charlie was born.  Since he wasn't on a bilibed until the next day, they were able to hold him.

When we got home from the hospital, Jim's mom got to hold Charlie while we set the bilibed up in our house.  Jim's parents were amazing this week!  Jim called them at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning and they came right over so we could go to the hospital.  Then, they stayed with Jack and Patrick until we were released from the hospital on Thursday.  Jim actually had to work Thursday, so his Dad brought me home from the hospital.  After getting settled in, Jim's Mom let me take a nap.  Then they brought dinner!  We are so grateful for their support!

While we are overjoyed to have Charlie home, we are bummed that he has to stay on a bilibed until his bilirubin levels go down.  He is supposed to be on this bed at all times except when feeding or getting his diaper changed.  It's been hard that no one gets to hold him. I am thankful that I get to hold him when I feed him.  Jim usually will burp him or change his diaper.  We have taken him to a lab each morning for a heel stick to check his bilirubin levels.  Unfortunately, they have increased a little each day.  So, the doctors want him to stay on the bilibed through the weekend.  We'll check again on Monday.

Jack and Patrick are very interested in their little brother, and his bed.  They like to take turns turning the light for the bed on and off each time we have to take Charlie out (for feedings or diaper changes).

Charlie usually falls asleep during a feeding, so Jim gets to cuddle him a little while burping him.

Charlie can only wear a diaper in the bilibed.  So, while we have lots of cute baby boy clothes, he doesn't get to wear any except for the brief visits to the lab.  Here are some pictures of Patrick checking out his little brother before we left for today's heel stick.

In other news, Patrick's vocabulary has taken off over the past week.  He will repeat almost any word you tell him.  He will even say 2- and 3-word phrases.  Last night, I was reading a bedtime story. Patrick pointed to the page number and said "eight."  I was on page 8!  Thinking it was a fluke, I pointed to page 7 and he said, "sezen" which is how he says "seven."  We did a few more and he got most.  He can identify most numbers from 2 through 9!  Jim and I are amazed and proud of our little guy (who doesn't seem nearly as little anymore now that we have a newborn in the house)!

Hopefully Monday's appointment will go well and Charlie's bilirubin levels will be down enough that the doctors let us take him off the bilibed.  We are all anxious to hold and snuggle him!