The Russell Four

We are so happy to have come home on Friday and start life as a family of four. Here is a quick update on the four of us. of course, I could fill pages with all the stories and details. The last 5 days have been incredible.
From youngest to oldest...

Ryan: life at age 5 days old is great! He is healthy and growing. He eats like a champ. The nurse called him "Chunk-a-la." He is sweet and mellow as of now. He DOES NOT like getting his diaper changed, but always opens his eyes afterward, so it is so worth it! He sleeps all the time (about 3 hour chunks), eats, and goes back to sleep. I forgot how peaceful they can be in the beginning. He loves finding the nook of your neck and nuzzling right in.

Haley: Are we in a honeymoon phase? She loves her brother and is extremely helpful. She still talks about "our baby" to everyone and checks in on him constantly. She gets nervous when he cries and tries to calm him down..."it will be ok Ryan, don't cry." The first time she saw a diaper change she exclaimed, "Hey! He has a penis!" We were dying. The other day I was changing his diaper and he was wailing and Haley said "Mom, can you please pick him up?" She wanted him to feel better. I could list story after story...

Me: I feel GREAT! I am on pain medication and am doing my best not to push it and to just relax and recover. I was so happy to come home on Friday since we were originally told Saturday. I love the comforts of my own home. The nurses at Kaiser could not have been better to us. They loved Haley and Ryan and treated us like VIPs. One nurse rushed to her shift early when she found out we were getting discharged and gave me a huge kiss and blessed our family. Such wonderful people!

Josh: He is one proud papa. The guy beams with joy when playing with Haley or holding/interacting with Ryan. He has been incredibly supportive in all ways. It is fun watching him as a second time dad...such an attractive quality in him. It's funny to watch him go from "guy talk" and cuddles with Ryan to tea parties and rough housing with Haley.

We are all great. I could write an entire entry about Ryan's birth with all the details. It was a true miracle and such an amazing experience. Very surreal to walk into the OR and come out with a new baby.

We are all healthy and happy. Thanks for all the emails, calls, texts, visits, etc. Keep checking in!