After what seemed like forever of waiting, we finally got to meet our little Henry! I should give him credit, he actually came 2 days before his due date. But when you move to a new state, start a new job, sell one house, buy a new house, and celebrate several holidays - all while being pregnant - it has a tendency to warp your perception of time...
But he was on his own time table, which included going in to labor right before I was ready to go to bed for the night. Luckily Brittney and Duncan were back from Hawaii and we were able to take Thomas and the girls over there and get everything arranged before heading off to the hospital. And after only a few short hours in the hospital, little Henry made his grand entrance into the world at 3:32 in the morning on February 19th! (That should explain why I look a little tired in this first photo...)
As hard as it was for me to believe, Henry was a "big" baby. Having a toddler skews your perspective on baby size I guess, but they were right! He was 8lbs, 13 ounces and 21" long. He beat Thomas by 12 ounces and 1.25" inches even though Thomas was past due by eight days. I'm guessing he'll be outgrowing his brother at some point - maybe about the same age I outgrew my sister? :)
Our first "night" in the hospital wasn't all that restful, but after a quick nap, I was ready to take some photos of my little guy. I mean, what's the fun of having a fancy camera if you can't start taking photos from day one? Plus I get harassed all the time about making sure I have lots of photos of child #2 since I was a #2 and constantly complained about the photo count discrepancy growing up. ;)
A few things have changed since we had Thomas (or maybe just because we were in a different hospital). They don't even try to weigh the baby or get the vital stats until after he has had plenty of time bonding with mom. And the first bath isn't until after he's been around for more than 12 hours. They did take him to the nursery to check his blood oxygen and take some blood for tests, but since I went with him he never left my sight the whole time we were there. They even did his first bath in the room:
Henry wasn't letting the nurse use that washcloth on him without a fight, but he loved getting his hair washed. Look at that contented look on his face. Of course he didn't open his eyes at all - this boy has been hiding his baby blues almost the whole time he has been in the hospital. The pediatrician had to startle Henry to get a look at his eyes at all... I guess he was worn out from the early morning entry into the world as well!
We opted out of staying an additional night in the hospital because we were ready to be in the comfort of our own house and not being woken up for checks every few hours. So after passing all the newborn tests and filling out all the paperwork, we were ready to go!
Welcome little Henry! We're so glad you joined us after the long, long wait...! :)