Today a nurse practitioner confirmed what I had already suspected: Joe is a perfect baby.

Patrick has to go back to work today, so my mom is in town helping us get through the days without him. He’s such an easy baby, though — he sleeps for good long stretches, and when he does cry it’s because of something that’s easy to figure out and fix: hunger, messy diaper, whatever.

The first night home with him was rough, though. I was nervous about every little thing and too keyed up to sleep even when he was sleeping. My sister spent a night with us over the weekend and forced me to go to bed as soon as she arrived. I have to remember, if I’m ever in a position to help a new mom out, what a gift that is. Getting enough sleep makes everything better.

This weekend, Patrick’s folks are coming from NY to meet their first grandchild. I’m looking forward to introducing him to them. He’s so much cuter in person than in his photos. Hard to imagine, I know!

Here’s something cool: This peace lily in our dining room bloomed on the day Joe was born. We’re plant-sitting it for our friends Alecia and Matthew, who dropped it off on their way to Boston at Christmas.

We’ve uploaded a few new photos of Joe on the Flickr account. Videos are coming soon!