From Dexter

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your emails. Mom has been reading them to me - everyone telling me congrats on being born (it was pretty hard work on my part, but I was a trooper) and saying how cute I am. Right now I have seen my fists, entering my mouth, and those look and taste pretty darn good, so I am guessing the rest of me is cute, too.

I'll tell you a bit about my first few days. On Thursday night Mom starting getting cramps that were pushing on me. Those kind of sucked, so I kicked Mom. But they pushed me way way down and squeezed my head in to a tight little space, so I hung out there for a while. Friday the cramps kept getting worse. I kicked Mom some, but after a while that became too much work so I just focused on squeezing my head through a little tunnel. Around 7:30pm I was close enough to the end of the tunnel that some people kept poking me in the head. And I kept on working my way out. At one point someone told Mom not to push, and they unwrapped some cord thing from around my neck a couple times. I don't think I knew it was there - it wasn't bugging me at all, and my heart rate was good the whole time. But apparently it scared the doctors a little bit. Then Mom gave one more big push and my shoulders popped out of Mom and I was COLD! A nurse sucked some fluid out of my mouth and... my memory is a little foggy here. I know I cried. I know Mom and Dad were happy to see me. Dad cut some cord attached to my belly, and then a nurse gave me some shots and put some goop in my eyes and wiped me off and put me on a scale and stuff. I cried a bunch. And then, finally, I got to go see Mom again, and I got to nurse. Yum! Food! I was hungry after working so hard all day.

I slept a bunch after that. I woke up some times when bright lights were flashing in my eyes. Mom said something about the paparazzi. Not sure what that means. But the lights kept flashing every time I met a new person. I met my grandma and grandpa Cowan, and Nana and Grandpa Norman, and my Aunt Christy. And then I spent my first night rotating between crying, eating, and sleeping. I slept on Mom for a little while - she kept holding my arms down. Some times I wake up quickly, and my arms fly around a bit - it's a little scary. I'm not sure arms are supposed to do that. Thought they were just supposed to deliver fists in to my mouth.

Saturday was a rough day. Just when I'd be sleeping someone would take me to get my temperature taken, or get a shot, or go to a little room some where to be circumsiced. That part was really not the highlight of my day. I slept for a while on some various family members, and stayed up pretty late crying. I was trying to tell Mom that I was still hungry. Takes those guys a while to catch on some times. Then just as I was trying to sleep I had to wake up and get naked to get weighed. I lost 5 ounces from birth. Apparently that's ok - nobody freaked out about it. And then I had to have my heel pricked and have blood squeezed out of it. Not a big fan of that, either.

Sunday was a better day. I hung out for a while with Grandma and Grandpa, waiting for a doctor to come see me to see if I could go home. She must have thought I was pretty cute, too, because I was cleared to go home. I got strapped in to some seat thing around 2:30. Mom and Dad took some more pictures - I think they thought I was big. Until I was in this little seat. Apparently I am not nearly as big as they thought. I liked going for a little walk outside, and riding in the car. And then we got home! Some brown fuzzy thing came and sniffed me, and it keeps coming and sitting next to Mom when I am nursing. I'm not sure what it is yet - I will have to get back to you there. Apparently some thing called CoCo. Oh, and I met some new friends - Adam and Maria came over to meet me and admire how cute I am.

I had a good first night at home, and am having a good first morning here, too. I've done some pretty cool stuff - pooped on the changing table right after Mom took my diaper off, peed on Dad after he took my diaper off, have spit up on pretty much everyone and everything. I eat a lot. I sleep a lot. I cry some, but I really think it's not very much.

Things I like:
Fists in mouth
Breast in mouth
Sitting up on Dad's lap
Sleeping on Mom's chest
Having my head rubbed

Things I don't like:
Baths
Dad tickling my feet to make me stay awake to eat
Staying awake to eat

Thanks again to everyone for all your congratulations. Mom said she'd post some pictures to Picasa today, so you can see how much cuter I have become (Dad says I had a "cone head" when I was born. Dude - YOU try squeezing through that tunnel!)

Much love,
Dex