Yesterday was my first day back at the office and, not surprisingly, our hardest day with Dahlia yet. D had been up with Sarah every hour from 11 PM until 4 AM (when I stayed up with her and flipped through the news of the day). It didn’t get much better after that, either. I came home to a frustrated Schmoo, a dozing baby, and an anxious dog. Dahlia hadn’t slept all day, wanting to be fed every hour.

I made some dinner and we sat down in front of The Office so Sarah could eat in peace and take her mind off our little budding fascist. Around eight, she and Dahlia went down for a nap while I worked in the living room. It was only an hour later when Sarah brought the fussy baby out, dropped her in my lap, and went back to the bedroom.

Dahlia and I hung out for a little while, but soon enough she was grumbling and crying. I changed her diaper, rocked her, swaddled her, shushed her, and soothed her. After about ten minutes of this, she’d either veg out and stare or fall asleep. I sat on the couch with her in my arms, only to have her flip out a few minutes later, and we started the whole routine over again.

I figured that if I could quiet Dahlia down, she really couldn’t have been _that_ hungry (babies have an uncanny ability to let you know when they’re really in dire need). So we kept dancing on until about 10:30 PM when she was totally inconsolable. I woke Sarah up to feed the baby — she had slept about two hours at that point.

We went to sleep again around eleven, only to have Dahlia fuss again at midnight. I scooped her up out of her crib and went back to hop around the living room. I was just able to keep her from exploding in angry cries until 1 AM, giving Sarah another two hours of sleep. Sarah sent me back to bed so I could get some rest before heading into the office this morning.

I was exhausted, and I overslept. But today was a much, much better day for Sarah and the baby.

The first few days after your birth, we were running on adrenaline. All of our family within a two hour drive came out to meet you; my sister even volunteered to change your diaper. Grandma’s been here the last couple of days to help by making a meal or washing the dishes so we can sleep. But last night, things finally slowed down as we all learned what the next few weeks are going to be like.

You were so alert! I changed your diaper after you started fussing in your crib. I expected you to fall asleep after I swaddled you, but instead you opened your eyes around 11 PM, and just kept looking around. You looked at your Daddy for what felt like an eternity before turning to watch me upload your photos into Flickr. I made iTunes do some cool things on the screen, but you weren’t impressed. You stared inquisitively at my favorite stripey shirt — the pattern fascinating your growing newborn mind — right before you ejected 3 ounces of milk onto it.

Afterwards, you were the frumpiest we’ve seen you yet: hungry and in pain. Mama winced in sympathy, knowing how confusing your state must have been to you, and helped by burping and feeding you. She sent me to bed at 2 AM so she could take the night shift. I felt bad, but we both knew I needed it. She’s tough, your Mom: she used to do 1- and 2-hour overnight checks at the equine clinic, so she knows how to survive on a little sleep.

After flying through Newark rush hour traffic and weaving through the parking lot that is Route 80, Dahlia was born in Denville today at 7:34 PM, weighing in at 7lbs, 8oz and was 19 and a quarter inches long. Both mom and baby are doing just fine. Pictures, soon.

Update: Pictures here.