James Kerrigan Blog: February 2005

Keep on keeping on

I've really appreciated the responses I've received from this blog, and the encouragement to keep it up. Please feel free to add a comment to any of the posts or pictures by clicking the comment link (pencil icon) down to the right.

You will see a few more photos posted earlier this evening (below) - hope you like them. James continues to be a treat to photograph, now spending more and more time awake, eyes open, increasingly interested in the world around him. Of course, now that I am getting back to work more, I don't get to see this firsthand as much. But, the time away just makes me appreciate the time I do have all the more.

It amazes us that he is rapidly approaching one month old. In some ways he still seems so little and new, but in other ways we can hardly remember life without him and feel like we've had him forever. But, once he is one month old, we will have greater flexibility in where/when we can take him, particularly around other people (with all their germs and stuff). We look forward to returning to church, spending more time with friends, and being able to get out of the house a bit more.

For the time being, we'll just continue to enjoy having James with us at home.

Play time!

So sleepy...

Somebody took a nap on his hand

With Great Aunt Sissie, Great Grandma Mary, & Super-Great Mommy

With Great Aunt Sissie

In disguise

Tha Boyz

The Kerrigans

A glimpse of future James?

Telling secrets

When you're hungry, you're hungry

Sportsfan

Before mom and dad go out for Valentine's

Snoozing

First walk, cont'd

First walk

One of the first grins, a little crooked like his dad's...

Just for perspective

...etch!

Stre....

He-Man

Growing up

If we blink, we seem to miss a lot of James's development. Okay, maybe not that quickly, but after just 12 days, he is already growing and changing and it is absolutely amazing to witness.

I've been back to work part-time this week, putting in 4-5 hours a day so that we can ease our way into our new roles. (Mary plans to stay home as long as we can afford it - hopefully for several years until our last child is ready to start preschool.) Mary's mom has also been a great support. So far, it has been going pretty well, though the inevitable lack of sleep comes around once in a while. Mary's recovery from delivery has been good so far, so we've been able to take some walks and resume semi-normal household life.

During James's first days, he wasn't able to settle down or sleep without being swaddled up tight in a blanket like a little burrito; he didn't know how to deal with his hands and legs being free to flail around. Within a couple of days at home, he started to go short periods unwrapped, then longer and longer periods. Now, he takes some of his daytime naps without being swaddled. But he still keeps his knees up to his chest for comfort.

His awake time has also evolved considerably in the short time he has been home. He is spending more and more time with eyes wide open, gazing at any and all nearby light sources. We can now see more of the whites of his eyes and have just recently noticed that his pupils are becoming more pronounced. He has also been grinning somewhat randomly, which is simply adorable. He doesn't yet respond directly to us, but seems to enjoy staring at friendly faces. He also likes to reach out and poke us in the eye, nose, mouth...

Later tonight, I will post some more photos we've taken. A few of them captured James at perfect moments, giving us a view into the future little boy James.

With "hopeful" Aunt Justin

With Great Grandpa Ray

With Great Grandma Mary

Family Photos

I thought I would post a few shots of James with some of his extended family members. Mary's parents and brothers have met him; my dad, Grandpa Dennis, has met him. My mom, Nanny K, is up in Lowell, Mass. helping my sister and brother-in-law, who had their first baby just five days before James was born. Quinn Timothy Conroy was born on Monday, January 31st. Quinn came 5 days late and James came 18 days early (both were right on time, though!), so they were practically twins, just 1,000 miles apart. We are thrilled that my mom has been able to be there for Jen, Tim and Quinn and look forward to her meeting James in the next couple of weeks.

I'll post some more photos of James with Great Grandma Mary and others as I get them off of the digital camera.

With Uncle John

With Grandpa Dennis

With Grandpapa Jerry

With Uncle Matt

With Grandmama Joyce

Updates

For those of you that have not seen many "blogs" before - I will post updated pictures and notes on this blog from time to time. So, rather than cramp everyone's inbox with pictures and emails - whether you want them or not - you can just check back here to see if I have posted anything new.

Thanks for all the notes and e-cards. It has been great to feel everyone's love and support!

The visiting stork

Home at last

Walked to the hospital... does that mean we're wheeling home?

Bundled up and ready to go!

Kerrigan family

Time to go home

More chillin'

Chillin' with Pops

I'd like to eat something, please.

Strong man

Homeward Bound

Because James was born after midnight on Saturday, we were able to stay in the hospital until Monday morning. We decided to milk the 24-hour care and pampering for all it was worth before heading home. So, we checked out and came home Monday (I'll post pictures soon), and all has gone well for the two days we've now been home.

Our greatest anxiety about going home was how our dogs - Buster and Peanut - would take to having a new baby brother. In particular, how they would take to losing their top spots in our family pack order. The first day was a little crazy, since they had no idea what James was. They both could not get enough of sniffing him and trying to lick him to see what he tasted like. We obviously had to establish some boundaries pretty quickly. But, after two days, they have pretty much settled into their old routines and seem to see James as just another part of the household. They're still curious, but eventually lose interest and find a nice spot to sleep. We are thrilled to see them adjust so well!

After losing about 6 oz in the hospital - completely normal as babies try to figure out life outside the womb - we learned yesterday that James gained 2 oz back in one day. This was excellent news, and confirmed that he is taking well to nursing.

*I titled this post "Homeward Bound" not only for the obvious reason, but also because this is the song that was playing when James was born. While Mary was pregnant, I put together a mix of nice, soothing music on the iPod that would help her to relax during labor. I was oblivious to what was playing when it got closer to the end, but our incredible Labor and Delivery nurse told me later that it was Simon & Garfunkle's "Homeward Bound" - one of my personal favorites.