pictures!

We did get some good shots today. Check them out!

We gave Mercer his first bath (well, for us. They gave him one at the hospital, but it was our first go at it.) He did so well. He was very attentive... and he didn't get upset like we thought he would. We gave him a sponge bath (b/c he still has his umbilical cord / we're not allowed to bathe him 'til it comes off -- eewwww!) He did cry, however, when we washed his hair - but that was at the very end of the bathing process per a step-by-step guide we were reading on how to bathe the little guy.

You can see how we're doing some things in an unconventional way... we don't have a proper place to bathe him, so we laid out waterproof pads on the blanket on the floor and got bowls of warm water (from the hotel kitchenette) in order to wash him. Todd had to keep running back and forth with new bowls of water b/c they didn't hold the warm temp for long. Todd likes this picture because it gives a good perspective on how small he is. No - I'm not hurting him... I am washing his chest. Notice how attentive he is. He was this way through most of the bath. I couldn't tell if he liked it / disliked it / or was just contemplating the whole event.

After the bath, we met the birthmother and social worker again for lunch and an outing to a nearby park called "Garden of the Gods." We did the stuff at the welcome center and then went for a drive through the actual park which consist of the rock formations in the background. Danielle said that she likes to hike -- and so do we -- so we made plans to come back when Mercer is older and hike around this park. It's a pretty place and would make a nice outing for a return visit.

We got to know her a bit better and we felt like we connected more with her on this visit. I am planning to have a "girl's outing" with her Friday afternoon and we're going to meet her and her father on Saturday.

Once we returned back to the hotel (after a shopping stop), we returned to find a fruit arrangement (looks like a flower arrangement, but is made of fresh fruit - yum) and a teddy bear that Todd's brothers and sister (and Mercer's cousins) sent. We couldn't resist a shot of him on our hotel room couch with the teddy bear because the bear is bigger than he is!

And... one final shot that we thought was cute... it kind of reminded us of that movie Christmas Story where the kid was so bundled up they couldn't move their arms. I found this great thick / plush / warm "bunting" (I think it's called) at a kid's consignment store and had to have it. He's really too small for it, but we put him in it anyways since we'd be walking around the park. Honestly, his arms are curled up inside of the gray suit... and his legs go about 2/3rds the way down. The device he's laying in is a snuggle nest co-sleeper. This is his make-shift crib. (yes - it's also on the blue multi-purpose blanket!) It was designed for putting in the bed with the parents, but Todd says he tosses & turns too much / he'd be afraid he'd squish him. Also - it's in the living room of our suite - which helps us sleep in shifts.

Tomorrow (Thursday), we don't have anything planned. We are excited to just "be" and bond as a family.

Candice