Oh-Bla-Di

I’m so excited to add this photo to a long line of photos commemorating Hoffman kids and Caspers kids meeting for the first time.

Thank goodness for forever friends.

As I mentioned when I wrote to Ava last week, one of the reasons I was so certain that adding another child to our family was a good idea is that it was so very clear that Ava was going to be an amazing big sister. Of course, seeing the two of them together has been a bit overwhelming to the emotions. Ava’s accepted Noah with an open and loving heart, which has made the transition just that much more easy on us all.

Ava and Noah met for the first time in the hospital, on the day he was born. We were a bit nervous about how it would go, since she’d been so determined that her new sibling was going to be a baby sister. Sarah did a great job prepping Ava for her visit, since by the time she arrived you’d never have known that her initial reaction to the news of her baby brother had put her in a state of complete shock.

Her first reaction was a little underwhelming, since a balloon was still the major attraction…

But, she warmed up to the idea of holding her baby brother and took to the activity like a fish to water.

Since we’ve been home, Ava’s been willing to help fetch things we need for Noah, to hold diapers during changes, and to just be sweet to him in general. Given how much her world has been rocked in the last few days, she’s doing really well adjusting to all the newness.

Of course, we’ve been working on keeping boundaries in place, rules the same, and as much normalcy for Ava as possible. She’s been testing us a bit and a little more needy, but we’re already seeing progress in how she’s doing. It’s amazing how big she seems now (and how heavy)! Doozy brought Ava her own baby doll when he came and that baby has been a near-permanent fixture in her arms and her bed at nighttime. Love that.

We’ve been learning to balance the needs of two also. Luckily, Noah doesn’t need much beyond the basics yet, so we have time and energy still to let Ava know she’s still our number one girl. Mostly, that just means letting her be a part of anything we can…so far, so good.

Love that our family has grown. Love that Ava loves her brother. This sibling thing is going to be pretty great, I think. Can’t wait to watch them grow together.

Although his arrival has been announced previously, I thought the news could probably stand a few more pictures and details.  And, since I’m not typing this post on a phone from a hospital bed, I have the patience to do just that.  

Doozy arrived in this world on August 27, 2010, at 10:36 am.  We checked into the hospital at 7:30pm on Thursday, August 26, and, after a fairly low-key night and three epidurals (the first two didn’t take – imagine how much I liked that), we finally got our little guy just where he needed to be by about 9:45am on Friday.  We waited for the doctor to arrive from another location but got to start pushing by 10:15 or so.  When we finally learned that Doozy is a boy, I think Matt and I were both in a fair amount of shock.  Perhaps because we’ve learned to be parents to a girl or because of a lack of imagination, it was a bit harder to wrap our minds around adding a baby boy to our family.

Since we’re a “name ‘em at the last minute” kind of couple, we didn’t have a name cemented in our minds for this little guy.  We were fairly certain what we would have named a girl, but choosing a name for a boy was an incredibly difficult task for us.  By the time we knew we needed it, we had a few contenders.  The final decision took a couple of hours to be certain that our choice would stick.  But, by about 1pm, we were ready to let our families know that Noah Matthew was the newest member of our family AND he finally had a name.

Ava came to visit us at the hospital on Friday afternoon.  It was so great to see our girl!  And, the amazing-ness of seeing them together was just too much for words (although I’ll try in another post soon).  We left the hospital at 2pm on Saturday and were really glad to be home with our new little family of four.

So, now, we’re settling in, trying to get used to our new normal.  We’ve had amazing support from friends and coworkers in the form of kiddo-care and daily meals, for which we couldn’t be more grateful.  In particular, the Hoffmans have stepped in to take amazing care of Ava and organize all the amazing food that’s been arriving at our house.  The blessings in this house are so very many.  Welcome to it, Noah Matthew.  You are very loved.

This puzzle has 50 pieces and makes up 16 different animals. It’s a stretch from the 24-piece work Ava has been doing but she really likes it. Plus, this puzzle is big enough to take up the “Whole Floor!”

I’m the new guy here.

Friday, August 27, 2010. 10:36 am PDT.

7 lbs, 8 oz. 20 in.

ETA: I finally have a name! Noah Matthew Caspers will be on my birth certificate.