Today we are having probably the best day yet as parents. First, Ruby's good sleeping continued with a new record stretch: eight hours!
We woke up well-rested, and while playing with Ruby after she was fed, we had that breakthrough moment where we smiled at her, and she smiled back. It happened several times in a row. After grinning at her like fools for a while, I grabbed the camera and tried (with minimal success) to capture it.
On top of that, as I write this, Steve is giving Ruby her very first bottle (of pumped breastmilk), which she's gulping away at. We were relieved when she didn't seem to mind the difference between skin and plastic, or be picky about the type of nipple. This opens up a lot for me… now I can leave the house for more than two hours at a time. My nipples can finish healing (one bottle feeding a day gives more time to heal). Steve is happy and looking forward to adding his own feedings to the schedule.