On a fairly uneventful day yesterday, I got to thinking about what Ezra seems to be staring at…especially since he likes two things in particular (other than light itself). 1) ceiling fans 2) blinds that let a little light through. We had been told that he can only basically see what is 6-10 inches in front of him and everything else is blurry, so I was curious as to what he actually saw. I found this article which helped explain it more:

“Yet many books about infant development still say that babies can only focus 7 to 10 inches from their face. While infants are able to focus at any distance, at first they do not have very good control of their ciliary muscles. This means that during the first 2 months of life they may not focus accurately. Sometimes they focus too close (in front of the object), sometimes too far (behind the object).”

Interesting. Still makes me wonder if he can tell the difference between a ceiling fan and a spider (not that he even knows what each of those are), and if we are sitting in front of a fan (from his perspective) if he can tell that my head and the fan are two different objects. It does help make sense of the fact that during his first day home, he was tracking me while in the swing (from about 3 feet away). 

Anyhow, we did go for a really long walk yesterday – at least in comparison to the previous couple of days. It was the traditional ‘Switchgrass’ route that we have enjoyed, but it was the first time in several months due to it’s proximity to restrooms and it’s proximity to flat land. Ahna did an amazing job of pushing through the entire way just 11 days after the c-section. She is quite the inspiration!

Infamous words used by Ahna to describe an ability that Ezra has mysteriously obtained: projectile pooping. We have been peed on before (lots of times now), but poop is something new. Several times at the hospital, when we would change his diaper, he would poop…but that was an oozing, non-threatening type. Yesterday, again while changing his diaper, he let loose with some stuff that really should have obtained a flight plan first. Before we realized what was happening, it made it a good two feet away and all over the carpet. Ahna then took one for the team and put her hand up to stop the rest, while I did everything I could to not gag. Are these really the joys of parenting that everyone talks about?

We actually had a pretty relaxing day, and Ahna made me feel like I was on top of the world on my first Father’s Day. Last evening, we went down to my folk’s house to have a cookout with everyone to celebrate having 4 fathers in town. Dinner was delicious, but the gifts were better. I received some books from Dave and Mary Jo (actually Ezra received some books with a ‘father’ influence), a few cards, and a photography class from Ahna (!). But the best was a framed letter from Ezra:

Dear Daddy,

There are so many things that I want to say, but I don’t know how yet. You have loved me since the day you found out you were going to be my Daddy. I knew you loved me because of the way you talked to me each night. The moment I laid eyes on you and heard your voice, I knew who you were and that I would love you with all of my heart. I can’t wait to tell you these things in my own words, but for now you can just see it in my eyes each time I look at you.

I Love You Daddy! Love your son,

Ezra

Even though I got this letter last night, I think that I have read it close to a thousand times…each time filling up with such joyous emotion. Maybe this is the joy of parenting that everyone talks about. 

These pictures are from yesterday/last night at dinner. I thought that the sunset was a fitting one.

He has been set up with a true-to-blog-name onesie by Grandparents Briese. They actually got it at the People’s Fair in Denver last weekend, but we have been unable to get a good picture until now. The first two times that he wore it, he cried and cried then peed. Such is life. 

We had the great chance to meet up with Mary today before she heads to Mexico for a couple of months, and Sarah and Claire stopped by on their way through town. This evening we ended up at the Zukowski’s annual Spring Fling, but there won’t be any pictures of that since we were only there for about 45 minutes due to a baby that refused to go to sleep. Oh well.

Ezra did really well the first night or two at home, but the last two nights have been a little more difficult. See, after he feeds he turns into an ‘awake’ machine…taking in everything that he can see and hear. Most of the time it’s really cool, but at 3 in the morning it’s not so cool for us. He also has taken to wanting to eat seemingly more frequently at night, therefore keeping Ahna up more than I. Last night Ahna and I headed out to dinner while the grandparents – all of them – babysited (is that how you spell babysited?) Ezra. We have enjoyed more visits by friends and Ezra seems to be changing every day. Today I think he will be changing mostly diapers. Check the picture of Ezra’s modern redux of Dumb Donald from the Cosby Kids. 

Oh yea, lots of you are wondering how the cat is taking to having Ezra around. Simply stated: awesome. When we change him downstairs and he cries, Shadow comes over to check in on him. When he is fussy and we are pacing the upstairs hallway, she comes and walks at our feet. When he sits in his papasan or in his car seat, she comes over and hangs out with him. It’s been really cool to see the ‘motherly’ instinct that she possesses. 

Sorry that I didn’t get to post yesterday, but things were awfully busy between celebrations, departures, and arrivals. First of all, it was Ahna’s 30th birthday! We had a wonderful brunch/party for her at my folks house with all of the family there except for Dave and Mary Jo who were stuck in Minneapolis (their pilot refused to fly after the long delay…a story for another time). Following the party, Kjerstin, Jamie, Isaac, and Johnathan had to take off to head back to reality – which we certainly would not wish upon anyone, let alone family that we have absolutely loved having here. Not long after they left, Dave and Mary Jo found their way down to the house, at which time we enjoyed yet another party for Ahna. It certainly wasn’t what we would have chosen (them missing the brunch), but Ahna wasn’t complaining about two parties in the same day. Neither was Nora for that matter, who was able to help open gifts both times. 🙂 

Also, thanks to Teva and Abby for the swing….he loves it. 

We were discharged from the hospital this morning! Actually, I suppose that it was technically this afternoon, but we will say that noon was ‘this morning.’ It was almost sad to leave the hospital since we have absolutely fallen in love with the staff at Parker Adventist. They were amazing from start to finish, and we look forward to our next adventure there. 

The trip home was uneventful and quick, but waiting for us upon our arrival was a wonderful welcoming committee made up of the Smith’s and the Bersagel-Braley’s. We had signs welcoming Ezra home, balloons, and lunch waiting. Then for desert, there was a birthday cake for Ezra with a big ‘0’ on top. It was a lot of fun. 

Ahna and I settled in for a while this afternoon before my parents stopped by, and now we are getting ready for bed – and hopefully so is Ezra. Here are the pictures from today (azaleas are from the front yard, roses and daisies are from the party today)…enjoy!

Today was a good day…lots of fun, lots of visitors. Ezra continues his good relations with new people, but has had a rougher go of it today than previously…he was circumcised today. It was a decision that we have spent the last year+ trying to make, looking at ever single angle that we could, yet still hadn’t come to any conclusions until we defaulted to doing it this morning. Since then, he has been a little fussier which hopefully will resolve itself with some help from Tylenol. We would be more than happy to share more with you when we see you, but needless to say further: the desicion was extremely difficult. Oh well, time to move on.

The pediatrician heard a heart murmmer this morning on Ezra’s daily check, marking the third day in a row that they heard something. This is extremely common but should go away around now, so she ordered a ultrasound of his heart. Turns out that nothing is out of the ordinary and there is no need for anymore concern. Relief.

I spent some time away from the hospital today showing the family the fire station. I met Kari, Matthew, Nora, Kjerstin, Jamie, Johnathan, and Isaac at my firehouse for a tour and some play time. By play time, they got to ride in the fire truck, try on my gear, and get hooked up to the heart monitor. There were lots of pictures taken, but none by me…so once I get them, I will make sure to post them here. It was super cute.

For now, we are easing into our last night at the hospital before everything gets crazy at home. Ahna is having a remarkable recovery (at least in my mind)…so much so that she isn’t even going to get a doctor’s visit tomorrow. We should be heading home around lunch time, but don’t count on any posts tomorrow as we settle into a new routine. If I have time… For now, here are a couple pictures from today, including a 4 generation picture!