Thing 2 ...

silas ... I'm a boy, originally uploaded by toyfoto.

Silas Patrick was born June 19th, 2007 at 7:07 p.m. weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces and measuring 19 inches.

He does indeed have hydronephrosis -- a moderate dilation of the left kidney, in his case -- which was diagnosed inutero, but otherwise he's healthy.

Now that all that statistical stuff is out of the way, let me tell you about our boy ...

He is perfect.

He has lots of dark hair on his head and even some on his back. He came out quietly as the doctors pushed and pulled and cajolled him from his place inside me. My doctors had called in a high-risk pediatrician and had warned me that anything could happen, the worst being that he could be in need of a little NICU time seeing as how the surgery at 37 weeks 5 days (according to the ultrasound due date) was taking him just a tiny bit early.

As he was being examined, his bluish body (normal after birth) turned bright red and he screamed his beautiful head off. He even peed on the ped, which made Jed so proud.

(Just so you know, he was equally proud of his daughter's mischievous persuits at this age, too ... she got the footprint ink EVERYWHERE when the nurse who did the honors diverted her attention just for a second).

My memories of my recovery time with Annabel were much different, however, than with her new brother.

I recall, though I'm told, she was with me the whole time. But I didn't hold or nurse her until we got to our assigned room in the maternity section. Waiting for her to be put in my arms felt like an eternity.

This time Jed was sitting right next to me with Silas as they PACU nurse, Jennifer, went about doing her assessments and tests of my recovery. (The incision being not as nice as the last one, she was worried about some bleeding).

Silas latched on (painlessly, I might add -- he's that good a kid) within an hour.

So far he's been a quiet boy, though. The nursery would take him at night to give me a chance to sleep and return him every three hours for feedings. Each time they opened the door and told me he was hungry, he was silently looking up at me, eyes wide open. Just waiting patiently.

We returned home last night, and Annabel is over the moon about her baby. She has a place all her own (on the back of his head) that only she can kiss.

And she assures us she LOVES being a big sister. All I know is he's a lucky boy to have her, and we are a lucky family to have them.

It's a good day.