Baby update

We are home! Kristen has improved dramatically and they released us from the hospital this evening, just in time to hit the rush hour traffic. She is able to walk around (slowly, cautiously) and we think her milk is coming in. Although she is no longer in any danger, it will be a couple of months before she is healed, and in the meantime she is less mobile, more depleted, and more fragile than we counted on going in to all of this. However, that's not a big deal compared to the alternative. Meanwhile, Tai is still doing well. He isn't the best at nursing, especially because he is so strong that he can squirm away whenever he is brought to nurse. But, he's learning. He cries now when he is upset, but not very loud and not for too long. Overall he has a very quiet and sweet disposition.

Here is a picture from yesterday (Wednesday) of me holding Tai.



Here is a picture from yesterday of Tai sleeping in the post-partum room that we shared. The puppy was a gift from Kristen's long-time friend Jesse, who just moved to West Hollywood from Minnesota. Good move! The bunny was a gift from Kristen's uncle Jon in London.



Here is a non-baby picture, but I liked it. The flowers came from my mom and from our friend Alicia, but I mainly wanted to show the little Buddha and little Jizo that accompanied us in the labor and delivery room and the post-partum room (Jizo also hung out with Kristen in the ICU). I got the Jizo at Yatadera, a tiny temple inside an indoor shopping arcade in Kyoto last year. He is the protector of children and mothers.



Here is another sleeping picture of Tai. I just wanted to show the Happy Birthday balloon that Jesse brought with the puppy. We were really touched.



And here's a close-up of the baby as he lies in his bassinet at the hospital, wondering how in the world he got into this mess.



Kristen's mom Laura has been with us since last Wednesday and was present through the entire ordeal. She's been so helpful and has made this expereince somewhere between a thousand and a million times better than it would've been otherwise. She's great with the baby and great with helping new mom Kristen adjust to all these unfamiliar responsibilites.



And finally, here's my aunt Christy, the first person from my side of the family who got to hold Tai. She came by this afternoon, it was great to see her. Although he's making a grumpy face the baby liked her.