Grand Theft Gavin

Laura went home from the hospital today, and we stole Gavin and took him home with us! Past  experiences tell us hospitals generally don't like to send babies home on the same day as their parents, but this time both mother and baby were discharged on the same day, and we all went home together this afternoon.  

Getting to Know Gavin

The last couple days with Gavin here at the hospital have been good ones. With the exception of one call to the nurse to check what we perceived to be breathing issues for Gavin (respiratory rate deemed to be above normal but not extreme -- hey, you didn't really expect us to be 100% relaxed, did you?)... we've just been hanging out and getting to know our little guy. He's eating well, he's passed his newborn hearing screening and other tests in the first few days of life, and he's on track (knock on wood) to go home with us from the hospital tomorrow afternoon, so we've been very blessed so far.

Gavin meets Grandpa Kevin & Grandma Deb

Kevin and Deb have been in town since Conner's birthday party on Sunday, and they have been watching Lexi and Conner while we've been at the hospital, so they got the next opportunity to meet and hold our newest addition to the family. Gavin first got the opportunity for some one-on-time time with Grandpa Kevin, with whom he shares a middle name, and then got some this same opportunity with Grandma Deb. Not sure it was as relaxing as their previous first encounters given Conner and Lexi were bouncing off the walls during this time, but then again it was in our 7th floor hospital room instead of 2nd floor NICU pod to which they had been accustomed previously, so I'm pretty sure they were happy with the experience!

Gavin's Family Meeting

Later in the day, Alexis and Conner came to the hospital to meet their new baby brother. Lexi and Conner each brought Gavin a daisy to welcome him to the family, and Gavin reciprocated by giving Lexi a Bitty Baby carrier & Conner a couple of racecars. The kids have been excited about the baby in mommy's belly for a long time, so they were very excited to see the baby, and even more excited to get to hold the baby. Lexi loved holding her baby brother and flashed an ear-to-ear grin the entire time. Conner, who doesn't generally sit still for longer than 2 seconds, jumped up on the couch and sat like a statue while softly uttering "baby, rock," as he patiently waited his turn to rock the baby on his lap. 

We're not sure how the two of them will handle a third child in the household drawing Mom's and Dad's attention, but early indications are that they're pretty excited about the little guy. Then again, we're not sure how Gavin will handle Lexi's lay-on-top-of-you hugs... or the sensation that is Hurricane Con-man once Gavin arrives at home!

Welcome, Gavin Michael!

This morning, we were blessed to welcome a third child into the Bunch family. Laura gave birth to a baby boy -- Gavin Michael Bunch -- at 8:04am on Tuesday, Sept 18th. Given Laura delivered the baby via a scheduled  C-section, the date wasn't a surprise, but the gender was a surprise, and the size of our bundle of joy was an even bigger surprise. Gavin tipped the scales at 10 pounds, 12.1 ounces (apologies to Gavin for selling him short by a tenth of an ounce yesterday in our email announcements), and he was 22 inches long. We couldn't be more excited to have Gavin join the family this morning. Of course, he decided to execute the signature Bunch baby move to perfection when he triggered some breathing abnormalities shortly after birth and prompted a call to the NICU staff to join the festivities in the delivery room. However, everything checked out fine, he's with us now, and both Gavin and Laura appear to be happy and healthy!

Conner's 2nd Bday Party

We celebrated Conner's 2nd birthday with his friends today. We had a party at the firehouse, and it was awesome. Conner loved every minute, and the activities amazingly kept the 2-year-olds entertained for almost an hour and a half! We started with a tour of the facilities, then got to climb in the firetrucks and ambulances, went for a ride in a real fire truck, and then ended with cake. The perfect party for our firetruck loving boy!