Dad holds Ben.

(I like the picture above because it looks like Ben’s half-smiling at his Pops.)

Apparently one of the side effects of being a new mom is that I’ve had such tunnel vision that I didn’t realize until yesterday that Chris hadn’t even held his son. I am an awful person.

But before you think I’m an awful person, keep in mind that I’m married to one of the most selfless people I know - a good natured, even-tempered man who respects that I’m a new mother and knows that Ben needs me - or really, that I need Ben. But with that, he’s also the type of guy to never speak up about the fact that his son has been here since Wednesday morning and now it’s Sunday. And they haven’t even gotten to hang out. So after several episodes of guilt-ridden, tearful apologies from me, and Chris trying to make me feel better about it, we took off for the hospital.

Sunday night was Boys’ Night.
He likes to sleep with his mouth open, like Dad.

The white circle you see on Ben’s temple is a little velcro patch. It seems a bit archaic, I know, but the mask they’d used the day before to help shield his retinas from the UV light had a strap that went around the back of his head, and it made a dent in it. So the nurse on the next shift decided that this was a better option for him. Our son has velcro patches on his temples so that his new tanning mask can be put on and removed more easily. I must be getting rest, and getting better, and becoming less crazy-emotional, because now I actually find that funny and totally cute.

Chris thinks Ben looks like an old man with no teeth in this picture. That makes me laugh.

Dad and Ben got to talk and hang out for about an hour and a half while we were at the hospital. Dad told funny jokes and broke the news to Ben that the Phillies aren’t doing so hot. While they enjoyed their time together, I took a bazillion pictures, trying to impress my really-good-at-taking-photos husband. Ben had his eyes open a bunch, but I couldn’t get many decent shots of him awake.

We got home a little late last night, but I was in a better mood than I’ve been in since before Ben was born. It was so fun to watch Chris hold him, and now, at 6:45 in the morning, I am crying fun, rational, happy tears. I know we’re going to have setbacks, because all preemies do, but it was so fun being a family last night, hanging out and chatting it up.