Crib girl

It was a lovely surprise to see Arabella in a crib this morning. Kiera and I marveled at how easy it was to lean in and give her a kiss. We can definitely get used to this. 

So many kisses 😘😘😘

Belle needs to be dressed up or bundled tightly so that she stays cozy and warm. Bring on the blankets, cute dresses and onesies. We joke that doll clothes would still fit her at this point. 

We should give Belle more credit, though, she's definitely big enough for the crib. 

Welcome to the big leagues, Belle. 

Welcome to the show. You were protected in your isolette, separated from the constant noise, dust, and general hustle of the outside environment, but you seemed to want this crib so badly. Well, you got your wish. Now you can show the world just how big you are.

I'm happy for you baby girl. Honestly! But here's a piece of advice from dad: Growing up doesn't necessarily mean it's going to get better, or easier. 😉 Don't rush to grow up so fast, okay? Take your time. Enjoy each step and point in your life.

She got her first vaccinations last night, the typical ones that a newborn would receive. A few weeks ago we told doctors to delay the shots as long as possible in order to give Belle enough time to recover post-surgery. 

Sometimes it seems like the doctors want to do too much at once, while Kiera and I are advocates of doing things one at a time. "Can we just drop her morphine and see how she does first? Before we adjust anything else?"

We know that Arabella is sensitive to change. Too many changes at once and it can throw her off. We see it first hand, and our nurses do too. The doctors just don't know Belle like we do. 

Today we stayed way too late at the hospital, but it was really hard to leave her side. It's getting a little harder and harder to leave every day. Sometimes we're overcome by feelings of frustration and helplessness. 

We feel sad to be going home without her, and we miss her as soon as we walk in the front door.