Today we got several early-morning visits from the doctors in the hospital. Amy is feeling better today, though she is still sore from the surgery. Evan is looking good, and the pediatrician gave him high marks for muscle tone and reflexes. Also, his mucus issues from yesterday seem to have subsided. He had been too sleepy to nurse since his first successful session immediately after birth, but the doctor's examination today woke him up enough so he wanted to feed again, and he had no trouble latching on and getting a good feeding. Since then, he's fed 5 times on a pretty regular schedule. Getting started with nursing seems easier this time around, as Amy knows what it feels like from when she nursed with Seth.

Today the weather was better, and so we got to visit with more of the family, including Grandpa Joe and Grandma Nancy. They got to meet Evan for the first time, and had a wonderful time holding him and getting to know him better.

A little later, Geema and Grams brought Seth to visit for the first time as well. Borrowing an idea from Amy's friend Jill, we spent some time alone with Seth and talked about how Evan was going to join our family. Then we asked the nursing staff to bring Even into the room so he could "join" our family. Seth was very excited when the nurse brought Evan in, and immediately wanted to hold him!

Seth was a wonderful big brother, and held Evan very gently. At one point, he asked me to let go so he could do it all by himself, but I explained that someone needed to hold his head up. With help from his day care staff, Seth had made a card to give to Evan, which he excitedly presented when he saw him (and desperately wanted Evan to reach out and grab, though he wasn't quite ready for that). He gave Evan lots of kisses, and even said that he wanted to "help keep him warm" by snuggling with him. We've included a couple of videos of him holding Evan that we hope you'll enjoy:

We had lunch with Seth while Amy nursed Evan. Then it was time for everybody to take a nap, so we said good-bye to Seth and the grandparents for the afternoon.

Amy and I each took a much-needed shower, and now we're all resting together in our room. Evan is doing great, and Amy is recovering well, so we're a happy bunch here. Evan is getting lots of snuggling with both of us, so we're all enjoying ourselves.

Amy took a lap around the maternity unit this evening, and that was a good sign that her recovery is going well. She said it also helped her feel a little better, especially after being in bed all day. She's been on solid food for the entire day, and that all seems to be going well. She's still pretty tired, but definitely very happy.

We're settling in for the evening now, and looking forward to another great day with friends, family, and of course, Evan.

More news soon!