Bath Time!

OK, I pondered long and hard before making this post, but I couldn't resist.  About a week after Genevieve was born, we decided to give her her first bath.  Now because the umbilical stump had not yet fallen off, we couldn't submerge her in the water.  Instead we gave her a sponge bath on the kitchen counter.  My sister was there for the momentous occasion.  Seeing as it was her first bath, we had to document it somehow.  So I filmed the entire event.

Because we had to bath her in stages, I filmed three separate segments.  I won't bore you with the whole thing, but the last segment is priceless!  I must warn you though, if you're squeamish or weirded out by baby nudity, you might not want to watch.  (This disclaimer is primarily for Genevieve's great uncle Tracy)  Nonetheless, you've been warned.  Now enjoy!!

My poor sister was "in the line of fire" as they say.  Poor thing.  At any rate, after the bath, we wrapped her in her little ducky towel.  She looks so cute, but is screaming bloody murder!

 

Nap Time!

Nap time has to be one of our favorite things lately!  We just love napping with little Genevieve!  For the first 3 weeks of her life, I was home from work on FMLA, so Hannah and I got plenty of opportunity to do so.

Simply adorable!

My favorite spot for her!

Look who's awake!

Moby wraps seem to put this little one right out.

Family Visits

Once Genevieve came home from the hospital on January 7th, she had family waiting for her!  The first of which was my sister, Sonja Muir, who came to stay with us for a week.  Sonja was very helpful with keeping the house tidy and cooking meals while Hannah and I learned how to attend to our new daughter's needs.  Below are some photos of us during the stay.

Sonja talking to my parents while holding her niece for the first time!

My folks telling her how much they love her all the way from California.

Resemblance much?

Next came Hannah's family who flew all the way from Indiana.  We knew that her parents and Grandmother were coming, but were thrilled to see that her little cousin Kiowa surprised us with a visit as well!  Kiowa is one of the sweetest kids I've ever met, and was wonderful while holding his 2nd cousin.  They all stayed for the weekend and we had a wonderful time visiting and holding Genevieve.  Below are some photos from their trip.

Hannah's father Steve, her cousin Kiowa, and her Grandmother Janet 

Proud Grandpa!

Naps on Grandpa rock!

Tender moment with his new granddaughter.

Holding Grandma Teresa's hand.

4 generations of Jones/Penn women.

A few days later, it was my parent's turn to come visit.  They stayed a few days and were completely enamored with their new granddaughter.  It was truly a side of them I have never seen before.  

Our daughter is incredibly lucky to have such loving and nurturing families to grow up with and call her own.  I only wish we lived closer to them.

Hospital Visits

After Genevieve was born, we stayed at the hospital for 4 days while Hannah recovered from the cesarean section surgery.  During this time, some very close friends visited us and the new baby.  This was a most welcome site, for the only other people to visit us were the nurses, lactation consultants, medical assistants, nutrition aides, and housekeeping staff.

The first people to visit were Genevieve's God-Parents, Sara Jane Patterson and her husband Paul Poage.  Unfortunately we were so sleep deprived that, I'm afraid, we weren't much company.  Had I been more of a sound mind, I would have snapped some photos.  They stayed for a while and were great company.  Sara Jane and Paul have been great friends and Genevieve is so fortunate to have them as God-Parents.  On the day of our discharge, Sara came and helped us home.  She also came and cleaned our home, and stocked it full of food.  Below are some photos of our little Peanut with them after we were home.

She's asleep in Paul's arms

This was the day we were discharged.  Sara kept her company while Hannah got changed to leave.

Sara Holding Genevieve

The next to visit were our dear friends Dan & Galina Nisley.  They brought us a wonderful gift of an ornament that says "peanut" on it.  This was so special, as our nickname for Genevieve in the womb was "Peanut."  While visiting, Dan took some beautiful photos of Genevieve.  He is a very gifted amateur photographer, and it shows.

Because both of our families live out of state, it would be a week before they were able to come for a visit.  We were so fortunate to have such wonderful friends to come and visit, and help out.

Genevieve's Birthday

Our Genevieve's birthday came about quite unexpectedly.  She was supposed to be due on January 17th, but due to placenta previa, a condition we were aware of since last August, would be delivered via cesarean a week early on January 10th.  When Hannah went in for her weekly prenatal checkup on January 3rd, she had no idea that in 24 hours our life would change forever.

The appointment was at 11:00 AM, and was with a different doctor, as our doctor was unavailable that day.  During the routine exam, Hannah explained that she had been experiencing unexplained itching all over her body, but especially on the soles of her feet and her palms.  Dr. Coronado looked intrigued and asked that she go immediately to the lab for some blood work.  Her results were pushed through and processed while Hannah waited, and 4 hours later, she was diagnosed with cholestasis of pregnancy.  This is a condition where the mother's gall bladder stops processing the bile produced by her liver.  The material ends up in the bloodstream and can be extremely toxic to the baby.  We were informed that there is a high corollary between this condition and stillbirth.  Needless to say, it was very scary.

Because of the toxic environment in utero, the doctors wanted to deliver the baby as soon as possible.  They ordered an additional internal ultrasound to determine if the previa had corrected itself.  If it had, they would induce the birth that evening.  If it had not, then we would proceed with a scheduled cesarean the following morning.  I received a call at my office at 3:00 PM from Hannah asking me if I was ready to be a father within the next 24 hours.  I said yes, gathered my things, said goodbye to my workmates, and left for the hospital.

The ultrasound proved that the previa had not corrected itself enough for a safe natural delivery.  We were scheduled for the first cesarean the following morning and left the hospital at 6:00 PM to prepare.  We went to, of all places, The Spaghetti Factory for dinner.  It seemed an odd choice for our last dinner as non-parents, but it was close to the hospital, and had no wait.  In the end, I'm really not sure why we chose that particular restaurant, I'm positive we weren't thinking clearly.

We then went home to get the house in order for it would 4 days until we would return.  We cleaned as best we could: I set the cats up for a long-term absence, Hannah finished packing our bags, and I charged the electronic devices.  Then, at 12:30 AM, we tried to sleep.  Perhaps it was training for the sleepless nights that would soon follow, perhaps it was simply nerves, but neither one of us slept a wink.  I lay awake thinking of the immense responsibility of parenting, wondering if I would be a good father.  I am confident that I will not have the answer to that question for a long time.  At any rate, after a sleepless night, we got up and got ready.  Before we left the house, we took one last photo, and were off!

We arrived at the hospital to check in at 6:00 AM.  The Labor & Delivery Staff were absolutely fabulous, and after a very long preparation, our beautiful little Genevieve was born very healthy at 10:48 AM on January 4th, 2012.  She weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 22 inches long.  Immediately following her delivery, she was swaddled and handed to me.  It was love at first sight!  I brought her over to Hannah who was still on the operating table.  Her face in this moment says it all.

And can you blame her?  I mean, just look at this perfect little baby!  I don't know what I did to deserve it, but she is the most perfect baby that has ever been born!