first week home

We have been home with Riley Grace a full week now. We are not experienced parents quite yet but we have picked up a few things along the way that help the days and nights go smoothly. Here are just a few observations we have made....

Sleeping. We all get good sleep every night. This is one really mellow baby and we know that these things do change and we expect them to change. But for now we are thankful that she is a sleeper. She is out like a light at night and we wake her every three hours to eat. I stay up for the midnight shift and Sheri handles 3:00 and 6:00. It is 10:30 now and Sheri has been asleep for almost an hour. By 3 she will have her normal night's sleep of six hours.

Eating. Riley Grace eats every three hours around the clock. Sheri and Riley are an amazing eating team and they have a great system. Just before midnight Riley will start to stir, I'll make a bottle, change her and feed her, She will be asleep and I will be in bed by 12:35.

Noise is not a big deal.
Riley Grace spent the first three weeks of her life in the NICU where there are alarms sounding, nurses talking and machines running 24/7. This kid sleeps through it all. Our concern that the work we do during the day would disturb her was unfounded. It appears that she is the one causing the disturbance. It can be a real challenge working so close to such cuteness.



This kid loves to look around.
From the very first day Riley Grace has loved to check out her environment. Her big beautiful eyes follow sounds around the room. She loves to stretch her neck and do her best to lift her head and check everything out, especially when she first wakes up. When her eyes lock onto yours it's like being caught in a spotlight.



Two things she loves that I never even knew existed...

This boppy thing (thank you Aunt Jen and Jen's Mom)







and this bath thing (thank you Aunt Janet)








It has been so much fun watching her grow and change over the past four weeks. We are loving every moment with our Riley Grace.