Home Update

We are home and have made it through the first week on our own with no help from the awesome nurses at the hospital! We got home on Sunday and have been so blessed to have the help of my mom and Ben's parents to get us through this first week. I know you all warned me about catching up on my sleep and to be prepared for not sleeping, but I really just thought I would be fine. I don't require a lot of sleep and am usually quite annoyingly perky with or without it...OH BUT NO...no sleeping for a week will turn you into a crazy person. Yesterday and today were the first two days that I didn't feel like I was an absolute zombie! As far as the surgery recovery goes...I really feel good. A bit sore at times, but am recovering well from it. Ben has slept at night so I could sleep during the days. I must add in that I am married to the most AMAZING man in all the world! He has kept me together this week and reassured me that we are doing the right things for Sam (since I keep reading every book I have about bringing the baby home and trying to figure out what in the world are we doing here just for reassurance)and he cooks, cleans, does laundry, crushes up all my pain pills (since I don't swallow them...I know I am 27 and can't swallow pills), brings Sam to me for feedings...he is SOOO good! I mean...AMAZING. I would go nuts without him. He is so good with Sam too...I am SOOOOO lucky!
Sam is such a good baby and has started (I HOPE) settling into more of a sleep pattern. He is awake a lot during the day which is fun and sleeps during the night except for feedings every couple of hours(which we started out the opposite)...so he is figuring out that nighttime = sleep.
My mom went back home on Wednesday. Ben's mom and dad have stepped in and just taken such amazing care of us. They are cooking us meals and his dad has been working on the building and spending lots of time with Sam! We couldn't do it without them! WOW! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Went to the pediatrician on Tuesday. Sam was still a little yellow but his bilirubin levels were fine. He got down to 8lbs in the hospital and had gained back to 8lbs 8oz by the time we saw the doctor. Everything else checked out great and he is doing really well.
Well...that is all I have for today...I am posting more pictues (of course). Thank you all for the thoughts, prayers and phone calls (I promise I will return them but have been so out of it lately I haven't hardly felt like talking).
Thanks to all of our visitors too! We had lots of visitors from grandparents (my dad even drove in from Nashville so that was a nice surprise) and great grandparents, to Aunt Sara and Uncle Chance & cousins Grace, Emma and Kennedy, to my co-workers at DENSO, our associate pastor and his wife at church, Jillina, I know there are others but can't think of them all. Thanks again...we appreciate it so much!

Uncle Chance and Aunt Sara

Jillina even drove in from Crossville on her way to Birmingham ( I think she went a little out of her way just to see Sam which was so sweet)...thanks Jillina...you are the BEST.

Daddy and Sam (you can't see his face but I thought this was sweet)...notice his VOLS hat (every baby growing up in East TN must have one)

I snapped this picture while we were waiting to be discharged from the hospital. Like father like son!

Welcome Home Sam!

Chilling in his bouncy seat this morning

Mom and her best friend Betty Lou from Dickson (I am actually named after her...her maiden name was Miller which was my middle name before I got married...just a fun fact for today) drove up this morning to go to the UT game...they had to stop by to get a look at Sam...GO VOLS!