Landon is home

We are now at home with Landon and he is doing pretty well so far. We came home Friday afternoon, about a day earlier than initially expected. The first day he was pretty fussy, but he did much better last night and today. He wasn't getting as much food as we thought he was, so we are now supplementing with a bottle and he is doing really well.

Having a son has been awesome. Yes, it is a lot more responsibility but it is worth it so far. When he was born I had never changed a diaper before, but now I feel like a diaper changing machine. The first diaper change wasn't very pretty since Landon ended up peeing on himself, but ever since then I feel like I've done much better. I haven't had any aversion to changing the diapers, either. I guess when it's your son it doesn't bother you and you don't think about the poop and pee that could be in there. Keeping those legs and feet under control is a challenge, but that isn't too bad either. Landon is surprisingly strong and you really have to make sure you have a hold of him or else he is going to wiggle free. He was holding his head up off Christi's chest briefly while only 1 day old in the hospital. If Christi and I are around while someone else is holding him and he hears us talking, he will try to raise his head and turn and look in our direction. That is always cool to see that he knows our voices.

Christi is doing incredible. She is amazing. After all she went through in the hospital, it's great to see her getting around the house so well. I can't express how proud of her I am and how much respect that I have for her. She recovered about a day faster than they were expecting and now she is getting around so much better in such a short period. Since she had the c-section, it was a challenge just to adjust herself in the bed, much less try to get out of the bed. Now I cannot keep her sitting down long enough. She can easily get up and down by herself and is doing a lot of things around the house already that I was not expecting her to be doing quite yet. Actually, she is probably doing too much, but she is doing ok. I finally got her to sit down on the couch about 2 hours ago and she has been relaxing since then. She is so strong and I know she has surprised herself in how much she has been able to do. She tolerated A LOT of pain to get him here and now she is a very tough woman who isn't letting a little soreness keep her from doing what she wants to be doing, which is taking care of Landon.

We have had a lot of visitors at the house so far. Christi's parents, her brother Jason, my mom, and my sister Annie have been here as well as both of our grandparents. Also, some of our friends have stopped by and checked in on us, but mainly wanted to see Landon. He is definitely the center of attention. The first night we were here I recall holding him and I looked around and there were 7-8 people all crowded around staring at him. He makes time stand still. I'll be doing something and I'll stop by his cradle and see what he is doing; next thing I know he it's 10 minutes later and I have completely forgotten what I was doing.

Christi's parents have been a huge help to us. They have been fixing us meals and taking care of some of our chores while we have been busy tending to Landon and trying to get some rest. Christi's grandmother made some homemade chicken noodle soup and my mom made some chicken casserole, green beans, rice, and carrot soufflé. Christi's parents are on their way over with some more food. It has been extremely helpful to have meals already prepared so that we can just concentrate on Landon and not have to worry about having to fix every meal.

Everyone keeps asking how it feels to be a father. Words can't really describe it. To sum it up in one word: awesome. He is amazing and I love every single second of having him. From changing his diapers to quieting his crying at 4 am - I wouldn't trade ANYTHING for him. It has really brought Christi and I to another level of closeness as well. I touched on it some a little earlier, but I really cannot express how proud and amazed of her I am. She is an amazing woman and I am incredibly lucky to be married to her.

It's almost time for Landon to wake up. I think I hear him moving around, so I better go check on him. Keep checking back for more updates! We are so happy to have Landon here and will be writing a lot about our experiences with him. Thanks everyone for all of your time and generous gifts. We really appreciate it!