So, besides none of the nurses telling us to adjust the car seat straps on the teeny babies and me not being able to lift anything “heavier than the babies” the going home instructions were not super helpful.
I was forced to sit in a wheel chair and be pushed outside to the awaiting minivan, even though the floor nurses had encouraged me to get up and walk around. My husband and in-laws carried the babies in their car seats and all the diapers, formula, and other supplies we were given to take home.
We clicked the babies in the car seat bases and got ourselves situated for the 7 minute drive home. Since I work for the police department, I usually drive, um, fast. (Not to say that I’m exempt from getting a ticket, but once the officer sees that it’s me they pull over, they’d rather chat than write a ticket.) Since we had gotten married, Ryan drove slightly fast too. As we left the hospital parking lot, it seemed that we had the most precious cargo on board and we wanted to make sure to be as safe as possible. I don’t think we ever went above 30 miles per hour. Every turn and lane change had an appropriate directional signal for a seemingly excessive amount of time. Our first car ride as a family took about 20 minutes. Ah, the things you do as a new parent.
We pulled into our complex and I got out and directed my in-laws how to unhook the car seats from the bases. All cargo and passengers were meticulously transported inside the house as I waddled towards the door and up the front steps. I made it in the house and was never so happy to see the couch. I was exhausted.
First Day Home
My in-laws left about an hour after we got home. They were kind enough to get us situated and made sure we had the necessities at the ready. I felt very prepared with the stocks of diapers and wipes and clothes. We were ready. A tearful goodbye from Grandma
commenced at the crib downstairs in our room. Even though we were tired, we were polite and showed our guests out.As Ryan closed the door, I realized that no one was holding the babies. They were in the crib. We left them in the crib. We LEFT them in the crib. On purpose!! Our helpless babies are all alone in the crib! Oh no! They are only 3 days old. Is that abuse? If not, it’s definitely neglect. I’m a child abuser! I’m going to go to jail for child abuse. How could I be so stupid? Wait. WAIT! Aren’t cribs are made for babies? Cribs are for babies to sleep and be left in. So, if cribs are made for babies, then you are supposed to leave your babies in the crib and its okay if you do. It’s okay. We aren’t child abusers. Boy, I need some sleep.
Hello, Ginger!
Most of the grandparents were worried about the interactions of our new babies and our dog Ginger. After all, she was a pit bull mix. With all the negative media attention, everyone is in a heightened state of awareness about specific dog breeds. Ryan and I, however, were not worried. We knew Ginger’s temperament. I’d adopted her from an animal shelter 3 years beforehand.
Three days after I got Ginger, a coworker stopped by my house with his 11 month old daughter who was just learning to walk. He forgot the diaper bag in the car so he left her with me and ran out to get it. The baby toddled along the couch where Ginger was laying. I was nervous
because I had only had Ginger a few days and didn’t know how she was around children, especially babies. In a split second, the baby lost her balance and fell on Ginger. The dog lifted her head to see what that thump was and then put her head back down on the carpet. I was completely relieved. Moments later, the baby was pulling on Ginger’s ears and batting at her as if trying to pet her. Ginger gave it no mind.She was a very good dog. I knew that having Ginger around would be fun for the girls once they were a little older.
To introduce the babies to the dog for the first time, we let Ginger in the house and waited until her “Thanks for letting me in the house” excitement subsided. Once she was acting like her normal self, we calmly sat down on the couches, each holding a baby. We slowly held the babies down for Ginger to smell and see. She sniffed a few times and then sat down and wagged her tail, seemingly saying, “So, where’ve you guys been for a few days? What tricks do you want me to do? Let’s play!”
Over the next weeks, Ginger realized that she had taken a backseat to the babies. Toddler envy happens in dogs too. Ginger was always under-foot, always wanted to be near us, always in the way of where we were going. I can’t imagine having an actual human child acting this way. We were tired and short fused. Many times per day, we snapped our fingers and yelled, “Ginger!”
But when the babies were crying in the crib, she would run downstairs and sit in front of the crib until one of us got there to take care of the problem. She would be a good dog for kids.
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