About one week ago on a Saturday, Ethan had his newborn photography followed by a short road trip to few open houses. Needless to say, that Saturday was one of the longest days for us as new parents.

Prior to the session, I had thought newborns were relatively easy to capture considering they spend most of their time asleep. Since he was born, Ethan has been on a change/eat/sleep schedule every three hours. You can almost set a watch by his feeding and sleeping schedule. I had figured that scheduling a session during his sleep-time was enough.

Half an hour into the session, my wife and I quickly realized he likes to sleep bundled up while most newborn photos are relatively fabric-free. Removing one article of clothing and he wakes up.

After 4.5 hours later, the session was done thanks to the most patient photographer I've met. If you're looking for an Orange County family photography, I highly recommend a session with Jen Gagliardi. She gently posed Ethan, capturing several shots for that we can't wait to see.

As for the open houses, Melissa and I are taking a break from looking in this market. It has become increasingly competitive and we have a little more than we can handle at the moment. :) 

It's almost midnight as I prepare Ethan's bottle. Since we brought him home, the past two weeks have been a blur. Luckily, there are two of us to share the 24 hour shift.

The picture taking has slowed, but I managed to take a few during his first few days at home. :)

During their visit, my father-in-law expressed his amusement at how quickly we had adapted to caring for baby Ethan.

For instance, our son tires quickly from feeding due to his early birth and small size. We noticed that he falls back to sleep quickly after suckling and a burp.

To work around this issue and to ensure that he drinks his 2 ounces, I've discovered a few tricks to keep him going such as:

• Retracting the bottle
• Adjusting his position
• Supporting his chin

If the above tricks fail, then changing his diaper always seem to work. The cold air seems to wake him up. And warm bottle settles him back down. ;)

With Ethan home, you would think that we have an extra 3-4 hours that was previously spent visiting the NICU.

Between caring for Ethan and swatting a very curious Juicy away, my poor wife has her hands full. I'm getting better at changing diapers and bottle feeding, so she can take a few, well-deserved naps. If the first night at home was a guide, then there are some sleepless nights ahead. 

Luckily, I have some unbelievably supportive co-workers who understand. For the past month, I've been able to work from home, visit the NICU, and help around the house.

Along with the nice weather in Southern California, who could ask for more? I even saw my mom outside of the Christmas break. :)

After 27 days, Ethan was deemed healthy enough to leave the NICU and go home with his parents. :)

Ethan starts to bottle feed during this first week at the NICU.

Although his gestational age is 35 weeks, Ethan shows an amazing sense of alertness. As parents, we cannot help but watch his little eyes dart around the room. 

In the below video from earlier this week, you can see him already looking around with nervous excitement. 

A few moms have asked for additional pictures of baby Ethan.  

The first set were taken when we visited him in the NICU at 1:30 PM for 1.5 hours. The second set were taken when we came back to the NICU at 7:30 for another 1.0 hour.

The nurse said he was fussy during the previous night. Luckily for us, he was very tired today. :)

Thank-you to our friends and family for your generous support. It has been an overwhelming week. :)

Born 2/27/13 at 6:48 AM (33.5 weeks)
3 lbs 8 oz 16 inches.

I've been in photography slump for most of the winter.

It has been too cold to brave the elements and the light is gone by the end of the work day.

Luckily, it has been raining in Southern California for the past week. Rain usual means a nice sunset is nearby.

I capture this scene while walking the dog. The light appeared 20-30 minutes after sunset and it was a very nice surprise.