We are now the McPherson Foursome – and Clare is now a big sister. So far, three days in, it’s going well, but here are a few pictures to tell the story of how we became a family of four.

Grandma and Grampa brought Clare to the hospital on Friday night after Sam was born. She had been seeing pictures of him all day since Jeremy has been texting and emailing them to Adam to show her. Apparently she was very excited that her baby brother was born and came running into the room wanting to see the baby. She kept calling him “Baby Maddy” but we corrected her that he was “baby Brother” (he wasn’t Sam yet). She was very gentle with him, touching his face and head, pointing out that he had a hat and blanket, leaning in for a closer look, obviously smitten. She was a little bit stressed though and quickly started running around the hospital room looking for trouble. Grandma took her home for some dinner and bedtime cuddles. That night I hear that she woke up quite a bit – obviously related to the changes in the family.

By Saturday evening it was time to go home! With Clare we voluntarily stayed in the hospital an extra day. With Sam, we were rarin’ to get home to sleep in our own beds. Unfortunately my picture of proud Dad carrying Sam out of the hospital is blurry, but you can see how cute they looked. I was happy to be able to walk out of the hospital myself, instead of being wheeled out in a wheelchair like last time. I was also happy that I could pick up my Clarie when I got home and give her a big hug. Not that she cared much – since the first words out of her mouth were “Where Baby Sam?”

Samster – wearing the same little outfit that Clare came home in. On Clare it was HUGE, but it barely fit him in length and the little feet hardly contained his long monkey toes. What a difference an inch and over a pound make in fitting baby clothes. We joke that Sam’s newborn outfits will fit for about a week.

On Sunday morning Clare was showing some signs of stress (chasing the dog, deliberating doing things that she knew she wasn’t supposed to, shrieking in the house, etc.) so we bundled the family up and went to the park. It seemed a little crazy to take a two-day old baby outside but it was a beautiful fall day and we needed the family time. Sam and I chilled on a park bench and Clare and Daddy ran around the playground. Clare literally ran for an hour straight, chasing after a four-year-old who was also a big sister. Clare announced to all of the other families that she had a new little brother named Sam, and some of the children and parents came by to wish us congratulations. It was a nice way to introduce Sam to the world and give Clare a positive place where she could get out her energy without us constantly telling her no or redirecting her. We’ve made it our mission to get her outside at least once every day since he’s been born. It makes a huge difference in her attitude and ability to handle the changes.