tuesdays with henry. (day 9)

Last night, Henry blessed us with seven whole hours of sleep (thank you, dear)! They weren’t consecutive, no, but they were glorious. Together as a family, we all slept from 1:30a-5:30a, and again from 6:30a-9:30a. I had no idea how good four hours in a row might feel!

Once we were all up and rolling, this little virus of mine got the best of me; so we scheduled a doctor’s appointment for mom for the afternoon and planned our first outing with me behind the wheel–yikes! I’m so grateful that Grandma Kehrer was able to make her way to Holland for today and tomorrow, because with dad heading back to work, I was a tad worried about managing the little bug on my own. We bundled Henry up in his car seat (who knew he’d love it so much?), tucked him into the car and made our way. A visit to the doctor, an ear infection and a prescription later, we headed to Target to pick up antibiotics. Grandma and Henry stayed in the car while I tackled the big red dot for the first time since last week’s big event.

I usually LOVE Target, but honestly, it was tricky to navigate today. I found myself waiting in the pharmacy line and thinking, “This is so strange, and my son isn’t here. How did I manage to end up at Target this week?” I realized in an instant that I’d much rather be at home with the babe than out anywhere else. I stumbled through the rest of my trip and was SO glad to be back in the car, where grandma and Henry had been waiting patiently. He was a champion sleeper, and grandma was a champion sleeping-baby-watcher. What a blessing to have extra hands to help while we muddle through these first days and weeks!

Arriving home, we settled back in and I relaxed a bit with my first bath in as long as I can remember. What a delight to have a few minutes of quiet time to think (or not think), while Grandma K took care of the little man. Afterwards, a friend came by with dinner (so wonderful!), and J and Henry and I took a nap together. It’s been a regular day in a lot of respects, but in other ways, the new normal feels so different…

Henry continues to amaze us daily, and we can’t keep our eyes off of him for more than a few minutes (ok, maybe a minute). We took a brief moment tonight to capture some of his many faces, which he entertains us with at every turn. Nine days in, we’re still learning so much about the ins and outs of life with a newborn. He continues to grow SO well, and we love, love, love him!

A few of H’s “looks” to share with the world: