Welcome Jason!

Mr. Jason Oliver is here!  I headed out to Virginia last Wednesday to meet Jessica and family at the hospital.  I think I had warned my bosses in my interview that this "vacation time" was a non-negotiable - when my sister had her baby I was going to be there.  I missed Emily's birth two years ago, unable to wait until the last minute to book a flight, and with the ability to drive this time I was going to be there.  

Well, I may have been a little over-anxious to get there!  I was running late because we had Britton's parent-teacher conference that morning (yes, for a 3 year old) and I wanted to be on the road already.  Two missed turns to get onto the turnpike, and by the time I was getting past Winchester my pedal was glued to the floorboard.  And I was of course distracted by some found years-old mixed CDs, which I felt the need to sing at full volume.  I got pulled over for speeding.   And I admitted my mistake the minute the trooper got to the window.  And I explained that my sister was in labor.  And he let me go with a warning.

Whoo who!  I was off (albeit, slower) to the hospital, where I arrived a mere two hours before Jessica gave birth.  The whole experience was so relaxed - we were even making Tori Spelling jokes with the OB/GYN!  Jason just joined us like he had been here the whole time.  Yes, it is always amazing when a new baby arrives, but it honestly feels like he's always been here.

I got to spend the night with Jessica on Thursday night, which reminded me why I had chosen to leave the hospital early when I had Britton.  A different nurse was in the room every hour, and the sleep was never good.  By Friday, everyone was ready for the new normal to commence.  I headed out ahead of Jessica and Tim so I could squeeze in some grocery shopping.  No pizza delivery for Jason's first night at home!

On Saturday we had Jason's pediatrician appointment.  I planned on taking Caroline to her softball game so that Jessica could get Jason home before he needed to be fed.  It was also a nice break for Jessica since the house would be empty, save for her and Jason.  We ended up having the wrong time for the game, so Caroline only got to play two innings.  But it turned out to be a bonus for Jessica, because the minute we got home she went to take a nap!

I've got to tell you a little story, because it's one of those things that I may not remember years from now, but if I do remember it, Jessica and I will be laughing ourselves silly about it.  When Jessica had Emily, it was almost Thanksgiving.  Now, the late-night television is usually bad, but at that time the Christmas movies were getting into heavy rotation.  We must have watched "The Family Stone" about eight times over those couple of nights.  It was always on!  So I ordered a copy of the movie and brought it with me for Jason's birth.  And come Saturday night, Caroline and I snuggled on the couch and watched "The Family Stone" while Jessica got some much-needed naptime.  She ended up joining us for the last twenty minutes of the movie.  I don't know why, but that is the perfect late-night movie, and it never gets old to me!