First bath, and trips to see Poppy in the hospital

What a week we've had! My family is the epitome of "when it rains...".

Last Sunday (8 days ago) my Dad went into the hospital after having been VERY sick for more than a week. They admitted him, and got him on an IV, and were watching him. On Tuesday morning, they decided he needed exploratory surgery ASAP. They were focused on g.i., but identified some other potential issues. Dad's body was "throwing clots" and that's what deteriorated part (3.5 feet!) of his intestine. They removed the 3.5 feet and he went to PACU recovery unit and remained on IVs, blood thinners, and oxygen. He moved to another room yesterday and was able to have some clear liquids this morning. He hasn't eaten in a week! He's doing much better now, and will go home from the hospital toward the end of this week. They haven't yet identified why he was clotting, so he will remain on blood thinners, probably forever. They initially thought that the clotting was caused by a hole in his heart. This hole typically closes 5 days after birth. Dad's never closed. But apparently that's NOT what is causing the clotting. Emerson got to watch his first Ohio State game at the hospital! Dad really enjoyed having Emerson nearby, as you can see from the pics. And Emerson really likes taking naps with Uncle Jared!

Needless to say, we've made numerous trips back and forth to Lancaster, and Emerson had his first overnight stays there! He's such an easy baby, and made the trips doable.

A couple other events this week include Emerson's first REAL bath! His belly button took a while to heal, so I think he was very happy to get REALLY clean! Jason followed bath time with a book. And while we stay busy with Emerson, Sheffield stays busy with the baby toys!

We have newborn pics back...I hope to compile and share later this week! They are INCREDIBLE! If you want to take a look sooner, you can visit our photographer's online gallery at: http://www.julieraneephotography.com/index2.php?v=v1 and enter the "Clients" section. Once on that page, you can use our password "Zielinski" and be sure to capitalize. We are in love with every one of these!