Our 1st TwentyFour Hours

August 28
We have survived our first 24 hours as parents! What a joy it has been. Thankfully the power came back on yesterday right before he woke up so his bottle was not a problem. Caleb went on his first stroller ride, which was fine. He did not fuss, just looked around, mostly at the cars. He had whole grain cereal, and was not too fond of that so we added peaches which he did a little better with taking. The whole concept of a spoon is new to him, so he does get distracted by it and forgets that the goal is to eat. He went down last night with no problems at about 9 pm. He then slept until about 4:45 and we then gave him a bottle, changed his diaper, put him back down and he woke up again at 8am.

Today we have stayed in the hotel room mostly except for going out for a walk in his Baby Bjorn and for a long walk in his stroller this afternoon with Kathy. He has done well in the room. Everything is a new discovery; the flowers on the sheets, the texture of the chair, and base board. It is all a new world for him. We have had a day full of laughter, smiles and talking. He is crawling from one end of the floor to the other. Ethan and I are savoring every moment of this thing called parenthood. We have feasted on Big Bon noodles for dinner (like Ramen noodles) and have bought an ice cream cake for dessert. It is very hot here, 80 degrees so the ice cream cake is a treat. I know that I will not get much sympathy from the Chattanooga people, but we have no air conditioner and the mosquitoes are coming in through the screen. That is about all to report.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your post of congratulations. It is difficult to be on the other side of the world while starting the parenting process, as we want so badly to share this experience with those we love. But the post and e mails of congratulations make us feel that we really are not that far away after all.
Mary