Sunday Homecoming

The original plan had Jessica, Jena, and I heading back to Utah on Sunday.  We were planning on driving part of the way Sunday including a stop in Amarillo to visit my sisters, Robin and Lynette and then heading home the rest of the way on Monday.  Jessica was scheduled to be back at work on Tuesday morning.

With his arrival early Saturday morning we all wanted a change in plans.  Of course we would have loved to stay another week, but at least Jessica was able to arrange to go back to work on Wednesday so we could be here for his first night home.

Saturday night we finished every inch of laundry and any (very little) housework so that her house was ready for them to come home.  I headed to the hospital to be  ready to take them home (five hours later we finally can go home--typical hospital time especially on the weekends.) and Jessica and Jena decorated the house with posters.  Tosha and Austen kept wanting to be home with everyone and Jessica and Jena were so excited for us to come home....I just tried to hold Niki as much as I could.

Getting ready for his first car ride

The Russell Family

It is amazing how much stuff you gather
after just a couple of days at the hospital!

Moms ride in the back seat!

Tosha and Austen were delighted to see this balloon on their apartment building and see Jessica and Jena waving from their balcony on the third floor.  I was surprised myself as we had not gotten the balloon.  It turned out to be from my brother, Scott, who had driven up from Austen to spend two days with us.  He had arrived a bit earlier and was sitting in his car waiting for us to arrive as he didn't realize Jessica and Jena were inside.  (No room in the car for everybody with the car seat.)

Home at last

 At one point in labor, Austen asked Tosha if there was ANYTHING he could do for her.  She smiled sweetly and said, "I want to pet turtle."  (I know, I have a family of animal lovers.)  We decided we would help Austen out by getting a toy turtle for her.  Jessica drew this habitat for Fernando.

Shortly afterwards, Scott rang the door bell and we really started the party, complete with a little bit of game playing.  Mostly it was holding Niki or watching someone else hold Niki.

Austen and Tosha had some friends who stopped by as well --to hold Niki--so we watched them hold Niki, too.  It was great to share my grandson with my brother.  I was so glad that he had come.  He was able to stay until Tuesday morning when he had to leave for a meeting in Dallas.  That meant when we left on Monday afternoon, they still had some family support.

We shared a sweet experience, my brother and I.  We both were sleeping out in the living room and throughout the night we could hear Tosha, Austen, and Niki up and down as little babies and new parents do.  About 3:30 a.m., I knocked on the door and asked if I could hold him for a little bit while they slept.  As I walked back into the dark living room, my brother asked me if he could hold him for awhile while I slept.  I handed Niki to him and headed back to the air mattress.  For the next hour or so as I would wake and then sleep, I could hear my brother humming to my grandson.  It was a sweet and tender moment as I recognized familiar Primary songs and other songs and felt his love for this sweet boy.  The great thing is knowing that it could have been any of my siblings or my dad or Karla.  We are all so thrilled to add to our family.  I know this because I know how I feel about my nieces and nephews and their children.  There are just connections that define logic.  It is what we call Family.

Then it was my turn and I held Niki and we slept sitting together until he was hungry and needed his mom.  A few hours later, I laid in bed with him and Tosha took this picture.  I am not a fan of pictures of me, but I actually love this one for some reason.  It was a grandmother moment.