The perfect baby- yes, I am claiming it!

Josh and I have been at home with Jonah for four days now. We haven't really gone anywhere except the doctor's office, and Josh had to wrap up some work stuff yesterday morning. Otherwise it's been mostly us with a few visits from family.

We gave him his first bath today and he didn't like it at all. They wanted to bathe him at the hospital and told us that none of the staff would not be able to touch him without gloves unless we let them (is this really a draw-back? We've heard so many horror stories about staph infections from hospitals that it seemed like a good thing to me) but we wanted to give him his first bath- and we did.

It's hard to do anything but stare at him. I'm not one of those people who can look at a baby and see who they look like very easily. Josh and I both had full heads of hair when we were born, so I really can't tell which of us he looks like. In his ultrasound pictures he mostly looked like my mother-in-law to me, but now he just looks like Jonah. Except for the hair I don't think he looks much like me.

I know Josh posted that I was only checked into the hospital for 19 minutes before he was born, but honestly it wasn't all that simple. I was in labor for 7 hours- mostly at home in the bathtub- with Jonah. He was 8 days late (according the the doctors and midwives) but when he decided to come, he came fast and furious. I went to Haydn's birthday party in the morning and was having contractions about every 15 to 20 minutes. We left at 12:30 and came home because it was hard to hide how I was feeling and because it was also hard to time contractions and be social at the same time. An hour after we got home the contractions were 4 1/2 minutes apart and we called the midwife. She told us that it was likely that the baby might not come until Sunday and we ought to just get comfortable. That made us nervous so we called Angela, our Bradley Method teacher who is also a Doula, and she told us the same thing. So I hung out in the bathtub, Josh paid the bills right next to me and Tara watched 7 Years in Tibet. However, an hour later the contractions were 2 1/2 minutes apart and it was easier for me to ignore everyone and just breathe. It took a lot of effort to just breathe and I realized that if I wasn't making noise I would hold my breath. Josh says I was moaning but really I was just doing the only thing I could think of to remember to breathe.
So we called the midwife again and she said that she still thought it might be too soon (HA!) but we could come in and they would take a look. We called Angela and she said the same thing.
I got dressed (didn't dry off well) and we got in the car. Tara drove and Josh sat in the back and let me curl up a ball in the back with my head in his lap. I had been teasing Josh that I didn't want him to drive because he drives like a maniac, but really, I think I would have died if i was alone in the back seat- I really was moaning by that time because the entire 20 minute drive to the hospital was one long contraction.
We went in the emergency room and that was a mistake. They sat me in a wheelchair (no woman in that stage of labor wants to be sitting on her rear-end!) and it took them at least 10 minutes to get someone to wheel me upstairs. I seriously considered walking, but I didn't know where the elevator was. When we got to the elevator I told Josh and the nurse that I felt like I needed to push. The nurse advised me not to (duh!) and we finally got upstairs. I changed into a gown and then the midwife came in. Most of the rest is kind of a blur except for a few fuzzy moments. Tara has a great post that is a little better detailed. I do remember him slipping back while I was resting between pushes and panicking a bit- I think I said something like, "He went back in!" which apparently made Tara want to laugh, but she refrained. She could have laughed because I wouldn't have really noticed.

I love the picture to the right because I think it sort of sums up the whole experience for me. It's the first clear-headed moment I can look at. I was totally exhausted but I didn't really care. I was also mesmerized because as much as this perfect little being had kicked me in the side and given me heartburn and responded when I had the occasional caffeine, I still didn't really have a concept of this new person that I was getting to meet.

A few little things I've learned over the last few days:

• When he's mad, Jonah pumps his right fist up and down in the air.
  
• Jonah poots- a lot! (also poops, but the gas makes me laugh)
  
• He's also got a lot of really thick dark hair.
  
• He's very tiny- only one package of the 0-3 month onesies that we have actually fit him. All the other clothes are way too big. Also, because he is so skinny, he sort of loks like a little elf when he is wearing a hat.
  
• Josh is just about the best father in the whole world. He's very concerned about every little thing- is he too cold? does he need his gloves on? is the light in his eyes? is he breathing?
  

Anyway- here are some more gratuitous pictures of my perfect baby.