Home to stay

Louis is settling into life at home beautifully. Our only challenge is getting him to sleep, but we know that will come with time.

Yesterday Louis and I went to see his doctor who was very happy with Louis. He wants Louis to drink milk every day, but Louis has other ideas, so we are thinking of creative ways to get it into him. Getting to the visit was my first big challenge without John. I had to get Louis cleaned up from lunch, changed, and in the car, with all his medical info and diapers and wipes. I couldn't figure out how the car seat worked (now I know how to tighten the harness), but I finally got there almost 15 minutes late. It was terribly embarrassing, but the good news was that Louis is doing well, and that is what matters most.

Today Louis and I took a walk and played in the snow (forgive me for not running out to the store for snowpants and boots, but taking him out in the stroller felt pretty ambitious to me--fighting Xmas shoppers is another story). Louis had a great time kicking the snow and climbing onto it, with some help from Mama.

Last night Louis met John's parents. He warmed up to them after a little while and had a nice visit. He is enjoying his new toys and still plays with the balloons that were here to welcome us home.

You will notice that Louis is wearing quite a few outfits in these photos even though we have been home only since Monday night. It's such a luxury to be able to change him into new clothes when they get dirty, rather than sponging off clothes in the hotel bathroom sink and drying them with a hairdryer. The first time I got to use the dishwasher and rinse his plastic bib in the kitchen sink, I was practically singing with joy. The luxury of having a large container of dishwasher liquid and hot running water and a sink big enough to wash things...ah, life is good. I never fully appreciated our dishwasher until I found myself scrubbing out a sippy cup using a washcloth and a 1-inch square bar of hotel soap--and non-drinking water

We met a few of our neighbors on our walk today and Louis was shy, but he loved being outside, so I hope we'll have many more sunny days while I'm off on leave! He is napping now, but he will be excited to see his Baba when he wakes up. John is off for the next week and a half and Louis will have such fun while he is home. And we are looking forward to our best Christmas ever on Friday!