We're home and settling in...

Well, we're home! We got home Saturday early evening- somewhere around 7:30-ish. I had the car seat in the car, still in the box, waiting for the word that we would get discharged. Once they said "ok", I was off like a bullet setting the seat up in the car in the parking garage. I got so many smiles and laughs from people driving by... so many "new dads" do the same thing.

Can you tell she'd just had the epidural?

Don't know why Blogger turns this upside down... but mother and daughter meeting for the 1st time!

Once the paperwork was done and we were given an escort to the front door, after a check of our bracelets and Lily's anklet to make sure we belonged to her, I ran... RAN to the car to get all my girls- Lily, Ann and my mother in law. I drove home with just a bit more caution than usual (cheeky understatement). Lily loved her new car seat- in fact, she went to sleep pretty quickly and on more than one occasion, I've used the seat like a swing when she's been fussy.

The peanut all stretched out! She's got some long legs and her daddy's feet (sadly for her).

Oddly, I don't look like I haven't slept in 48hrs. Man, I love that "new baby" smell! You can buy aerosol car freshener that smells like "new car", so why not "new baby"?

Her new favorite hangout. The seat matches the stroller that somebody gave us (though I still have not figured out who- it was delivered without a name) and snaps into a stroller frame that my brother and his wife gave us. The other car seat we have will be the one used in other cars and when we get a 2nd car.

A little after getting home, Katie came home from being with her mom for a Spring Break camping trip. Her brother drove her over as well, so I had my entire family home for the very first time. I have to admit that I was so overwhelmed with happiness for the moment that I forgot to get a picture of us all together. DANGIT!! Katie was so overjoyed to get to meet her sister and finally "see what she looks like." As soon as we walked in the door- literally- Ann's mom made a direct line to the kitchen and began cooking a special fish soup for Ann. It was actually a pretty touching and sweet thing to watch.

The first night at home was much like the last night in the hospital, meaning there was almost no sleeping going on. Lily was quite fussy for the second night in a row- not like it isn't expected- so we all spent more time awake than we wanted. Thank goodness Ann's mother has been here because it certainly helps to have another set of arms to rock Lily back to sleep in the middle of the night.

Sunday brought Easter to us... a little bleary eyed and foggy headed. In the morning, I took my mother in law to the local Asian supermarket for some traditional supplies- fresh fish, pork kidney and heart and other various fruits and veggies so my "Ma" can prepare some special dishes for Ann. This did, however, require a few phone calls home to Ann so that she could translate for either myself or Ma. Since Ma doesn't speak English- and actually speaks Taiwanese and not Mandarin- communication is sometimes a challenge, but we always make it work somehow. After this comical adventure, it was back home so that I could get a semi-awake shower and head to my sister's house for Easter with the full family. Since Ann hadn't slept in two days and was not feeling well (can't figure out why...), Katie, Lily and myself went to my sister's while Ann and Ma stayed at home and got some much needed rest.

All the family was there and the arrival of Lily was a big highlight. With all my family there, my hands were pretty much free to eat since I never got to touch Lily again... mostly. It was great to spend time with my family outside of the hospital and Lily seemed just fine with going from aunt to uncle to cousin to grandparent. Ironically... she slept almost the entire time we were there. I'll admit a little happy frustration with that. The kids had an Easter egg hunt, which was total chaos as they ran all over the yard in search of "the Golden Egg". It was pretty funny... especially since the bulk of the eggs were "hidden" in plain sight so the littlest of the kids would find them. It was during the hunt that we had the much over publicized earthquake. It was a good one, for sure, but we were never in danger of cracking off the continent and becoming an island... much to the dismay of the TV news networks. Seriously, the coverage of the quake was WAY excessive. I'm sure the fine folks in Mexico are getting tired of hearing about the earthquake that hit Southern California... considering that it was IN Mexico and they are the ones that got damage from it. I mean, a few swimming pools with water sloshing around does not qualify as "news". The kids were in the yard totally unfazed by the quake and we adults noticed the slight rolling and the cars rocking on the street. It was certainly a bigger quake and the first one I've ever felt while being outside... but that's about it. Watching CNN afterwards just made me wanna puke. I think Haiti and Argentina might have a few more real thoughts about quakes than those of us here in SoCal. It's called perspective people... look into it.

Sisters- "punkin" and "peanut". This picture makes me weepy.

Her bucket of loot- she gave away the candy and just kept the cash. The girl just kills me.

The kids digging in to their Easter spoils. Sugar crashes followed shortly after.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of my sister taking a picture of Lily in her lap. Impossible to pass up! Probably updating her Facebook page too.

Last night Lily woke a few times, but then ate and slept for a good 2-3hrs each time. That made a big difference in how all of us are feeling today. We're a little concerned about possible jaundice still, so we may be heading to the pediatrician if we can get an appointment today. She's eating better now and looks pretty good, but she was released from the hospital with instructions to be vigilant about the potential for jaundice, as she was right on the border of acceptable and unacceptable levels for jaundice. Her eyes look crystal clear, so that's a very good sign for now... but we're still watching.

I'm home today, but the "staycation" may be over tomorrow. As much as I want to be home MUCH longer, I do still have to pay the bills somehow... unless somebody wants to loan me a LOT of money interest free and with no down payment.

Lily is sleeping now and Ann is soaking in an Epsom salt bath for a bit. I might have to make some more coffee to make it through the day... but it's a good day to be a daddy. The weight of it all is still sinking in and soon I'll be writing more poetry to capture it all again. The poetry blog has been neglected far too long and now I have TONS of material and emotions to recall. More than once over the past few days, my eyes have watered up. It's no secret that I'm a very Piscean guy, so there's a lot to take in and process.

Lily Annchi Jackson- the newest cutest thing ever.

Thank you all for the amazing support and kindness. The comments on Facebook and Twitter have been very appreciated by all. I'll add more pictures here later, as well as galleries on Facebook and Flickr and maybe Snapfish as well.

Tim