Here are some of our favorites:
Waiting for Peter (this was obviously before labor got interesting)
Peter, newly hatched. Apgars were 5 and 8 (not bad for a little guy with meconium at C-section delivery!) At first, we thought he looked just like his Uncle Nick (my brother). Now we are also starting to see our nephew Cameron in Peter's face... curiouser and curiouser!
Proud Papa.
Meeting Mom
There's Peter, all 5 lbs 6.8 oz of him!
Jason and Peter sleeping skin-to-skin. Peter's temperature stayed right up there with all the loving he got from us. We felt so fortunate to have fantastic care at the University of Utah-- a huge shout out to Phillip and Sandra on post-partum, and Kelli, Courney, Nikole and Lori on Labor and Delivery-- they were all amazing!
Lucky Peter with all FOUR of his grandparents at once! From Left, Grandma Laurie Tennessen, Grandpa Ken Tennessen, "GrandNan" Nancy Heerens-Knudson, and "Grappa" Ralph Knudson. We were so lucky that Ken and Laurie were out during a "pre-baby visit" that turned into a "get-ready-for-and-meet-baby visit"-- they did so much getting ready, and we were so happy they could meet Peter so soon! My parents flew out for a quick weekend to meet Peter and help me around the hospital (otherwise Jason wouldn't have ever taken a break) before they flew back to Wisconsin, and they'll drive out in 2 weeks for a longer visit. I think GrandNan may move in next door, though...
Frog-Man sleepy Peter. We have an amazing amount of amphibian and reptile-themed clothing, which is perfect for any kid of ours... and Jason's favorite color is green!
Peter in his awesome minimalist Norwegian designer bassinet (purchased on Ebay from the guy who wrote "Big Girls Don't Cry" with Fergie!). This thing is on WHEELS so we just wheel it around wherever we are. It's actually pretty compact, but Peter makes it look huge. He also has spent a grand total of 3 hours in it so far. It's a start... he'd better get used to it, since it expands into a crib and then a toddler bed.
Pensive Peter at 2-3 days of life. This was after Ralph walked him around the room singing Leon Redbone, and Peter was just stoked! Nick calls this Peter's "Jedi stylings." I agree. He kinda looks like an old soul.
All in all, Peter is a pretty chill little guy who keeps us amused with some of the funniest facial expressions I've ever seen on a baby. We're having a blast learning about him and watching his personality emerge. He's nocturnal (active-- read, crying-- period from 2 am to 8 am) and we're trying our darndest to remind him that daylight can be fun, too... but he's not buying it so far. He eats pretty well (now I just have to keep up with his demand), and pulls his little hands down his face when he eats, which makes him look like Edvard Munch's "The Scream" but cuter.
Jason is rocking parenthood, and is a total pro at baby-care. He and Peter have been bonding over the Brewers winning season and have had many coffees on the front porch while I slept in a bit. I think we're doing a pretty good job at supporting each other, too, even in those middle-of-the-night-crying-baby moments, and we're still laughing frequently at ourselves, Peter and the world... so I guess some things never change, even with kids.
Thanks for going on this journey with us, and for all your love and support. We've been overwhelmed with the outpouring of generosity and friendship over the past week, and we feel so lucky to have such great people in our lives. What a wonderful world for Peter to be born into. Thanks for making it that way.
