Back to Work...Slowly

Quick update. I went to the office today and received a warm welcome from my colleagues. There were gifts, cards, and a quite a bit of empathy for what we're going through on the sleep front.

I only lasted a few hours...

As far as sleep goes, Carol is finally getting some rest this afternoon as her aunt has arrived and is really helping out with everything around the house. She's also a fantastic cook. We had sea bass for lunch! I think I could get used to this.

Ryan was up quite a bit last night but is sleeping and feeding well today. Here are a few pictures from this afternoon.

Ryan Comes Home

Welcome to Ryan's blog. We'll be sharing updates, photos, and stories of Ryan here regularly. In case you missed it, the little guy was born on Wednesday September 24th at 9:21 am. I sent this note to friends and family on Saturday:

To say that it’s been a long week would be an understatement. Carol went into labor on Monday night at 9pm and Ryan Li Cunningham was born Wednesday morning at 9:21am. For 2 weeks early, he’s still a pretty big boy – 7lbs 12.3 ounces and 20 inches long.

We returned from the hospital today and I’m happy to say that Ryan and Mom are doing great. Here are a few pictures of Ryan and our experience in the hospital.

Sorry for the mass email, but we’re pretty busy right now with the feeding, changing, and trying to get some sleep routine. We look forward to you all meeting Ryan soon. He’s an amazing little guy!

Darren, Carol and Ryan

We've received lots of warm wishes from friends and family. Here are a few of my favorite responses so far:

• Welcome to the land of sleepless nights!
• These are the best (but sleepiest) days of your lives - and it just gets better! Enjoy.
• The sleep deprivation is the worst part of the newborn stage. Hang in there!
• Happy waking up at night.
• All a bit overwhelming I'm sure, but soon you won't understand how you lived your life without him.
• Fantastic shots ... except the umbilical chord ... too much info!!
• Sleep when he sleeps.
  
• It’s so crazy to see you with your own baby! Kinda surreal.
  

Thanks for all of your support. Now it's time for another feeding and hopefully a few hours of sleep. In the meantime, here are a few new photos of Ryan's first few days at home.