Friday, April 27th

Since Mark was eating every 2.5-3 hours, Friday came very quickly! But we were glad to be a family and in a room by ourselves. Since we didn’t have a crib or bassinette with us (of course), Mark spent his first night out of the hospital, sleeping in his car seat (that we did check through the airline—a special thanks to our friends the Wong’s who lent us this car seat the Wednesday we got the call). The hospital staff was so great that they gave us much more than the usual supply of discharge items (formula, diapers, etc…). But, it wasn’t going to last long as much as he was eating. Mark was taking in 2 ounces at each feeding at only 3 days old (I was told that was a lot?). So, as we settled into our luxury suite (not!) at the Extended Stay hotel, I headed to SuperTarget to get groceries and a more suitable crib for little Mark. He spent the next 12 nights in his EvenFlo babysuite (we call them pack-n-plays & it was coordinated with his stroller/car seat travel system that was back home—pretty fancy for a Blakemore!). That day we did speak to our attorney, the social worker at the hospital, and the birth mother about what happened the previous night. They all also spoke to each other to get the full details at what happened. Early that morning, I sent this e-mail to a few family and friends:

Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 7:38 AM
LaDonna and I are in need of serious prayer. A man claiming to be the birth father showed up at the hospital last night wanting to see the baby. Long story short, our attorney is now working with hospital staff and the birth mother to determine what steps need to be taken. We've now had the baby since 4pm yesterday, and can't imagine having to give him back. Please pass this on to all who will pray for us. Thanks. We'll send more details as we know later.

As promised, that afternoon we sent a few pictures to family and also to Mark’s birth mother. She responded the same day and was grateful we passed them on. Our stress level & sleep deprivation was high, for several obvious reasons, but LaDonna and I worked together beautifully—it’s amazing what minds and hearts with identical goals can accomplish. We shared the feedings and diaper changes and helped each other any way possible. Our first full day with Mark; despite all the things going through our minds, it was a great day. Amazing how much you can just STARE at a person and never get bored!