Parenthood

My baby is officially two weeks and two days old today. It is such a small amount of time that has passed, but I can't believe that it has already been two weeks since Sophia was born! On one hand, it seems like only a moment has passed since Tony and I checked into the hospital. I keep playing the "two weeks ago" game...two weeks ago, we were getting ready to leave for the hospital; two weeks ago, I was finally getting induced; two weeks ago, Sophie was born.... You get the idea. On the other hand, it seems already like a lifetime ago that she was born. I can't imagine what life would be like now without her being a part of it. Amazing how such a little person has such profound impact on my life.

We had our two week check up today. My first and most immediate observation is that pediatricians are freakishly perky. I guess its an occupational hazard. Secondly, Sophie received a clean bill of health, which is reassuring considering she was practically starving her first few days. She has gained over a pound from her birth weight, and two pounds over what she dropped down to after she was born. According to Dr. Perkypants, Sophie is in the 80th percentile as far as her weight goes (which is hard to believe, because she still looks SO LITTLE). I missed what her actual length is now, but she is just above that average. Doesn't really surprise me, considering Tony and I are both tall kids born to short parents. Her head size is in the 90th percentile, which also doesn't surprise me...I've been told that I have a rather large cranium. :) All in all, Sophie is a healthy and vital little girl who is growing like a weed. Exactly what a new parent wants to hear!

Otherwise, our little family is doing well. Tony and I spend countless moments watching her make faces, and marvel at her adorable little features. Sophie is sleeping pretty well, and we are taking advantage of the three to four hour stretches of sleep we are getting a night. I am enjoying my time off, and am SO GRATEFUL that I will have a full six months at home to be with my daughter. Tony is still hard at work, and unfortunately can't take a paternity leave until next month, but for the most part is making sure that he is home by 7 to enjoy some time with Sophie every day. We have lots of visits from my mom and sister, and Tony's family have all made separate visits over the last couple weeks to see the new addition.

I suppose that's it for now. Our lives are pretty tame for the time being, and we are just enjoying being a trio. Hope everyone is finding themselves as happy and satisfied as we do lately. Stay tuned for more to come!

Things That I Have Learned in a Week...

~Meet Sophia!~



~The first, albeit extremely fuzzy, picture of the new Jaeggi family~

1) That knowing the delivery date of your first child is enough to send you over the edge of sanity because of the unbelievable nerves, anxiety, and suspense.

2) That pitocin is the ENEMY, and no matter how much a girl might be against an epidural later in the labor, it will suddenly become her best friend.

3) That lying in a hospital bed for 29 hours is not as fun as one might think.

4) That SAYING that your labor/delivery lasted 42 hours sounds impressive, but when you are the one actually experiencing it, it feels like only 5 minutes actually passed.

5) That the first moment of looking at your child is priceless and will change the person you are, the way you look at the world, what you deem valuable and important in an instant.

6) It is possible to love someone more than you love yourself, more than you love your spouse, and you can't describe that kind of love to someone who hasn't experienced it themselves.

7) Even though you don't think you can love your spouse anymore than you already do, the love you have for them AFTER the birth of your child increases that feeling by at least tenfold.

8) It is possible to function on 3 hours of sleep, and not look like an absolute zombie.

9) Having a child is miraculous, scary, awe-inspiring, gut wrenching, powerful, and empowering...all at the same time.

10) That my daughter is the most beautiful, incredible, and amazing accomplishment that I can ever take credit for.

That's right, everyone. The big day has come and gone, and at 9:26 a.m. on March 14th, Sophia Diane Kampmeyer Jaeggi was born. She weighed in at 8.3 lbs, and measured a loooong 21 inches, and is perfect in every way. Our first week has come and gone, and all things considered, things have gone pretty well. The first couple nights were pretty rough, as it turned out that my milk was not coming in readily, and Sophie was hungry pretty much ALL the time. After a few lactation consultations, many of the kinks have been worked out. She needs to take a supplemental feeding here and there, and I have to be VERY rigorous about her feeding schedule to make sure that I am making enough milk (which it seems that I am...finally). We have had my mom and sister here almost every day alternating baby help duty, and Tony's and my good friend, Tim, flew out from Texas last Thursday to stay with us, help me out, and bond with his new pseudo-niece for a few days. He has been pretty much a God-send.

I've included a few of the pictures from our first week here, but otherwise, check out the snapfish site to see all the pictures that we have taken so far. I will try to be better about posting, but I'm sure you can all understand how busy the life of a new parent can be. Tony and I want to thank you all for your love and support, and all the well wishes we have received this last week, and over the last 9 months. We are incredibly lucky to have such amazing friends and family, and can't wait for Sophie to meet all of you!



~Sophie Diane, minutes old~

As Promised...

~Enjoying the rad glider that my husband put together. No nursery is complete without one!~



~This is what a completed Bean room looks like. Pretty cute, huh?~



~More Bean room. Apparently, we never took pics of the other side of the room. Guess we wanted to leave something to mystery!~



~Month 9. Not my finest moment. Wish I had thought of taking picutres during the day, instead of right before I went to bed...~



~Beware of the cankles!~



~Kickin' it with Ryden. 'Cause he rules.~



~Ryden is blowing raspberries because he's mad that Bean is taking so long to hang out with him.~



~Tuckered out from hanging out with Auntie Laura and Uncle Tony. We're pretty major. I think the anticipation of waiting for his future BFF got to him as well.~



~Term. I'm friggin' HUGE. There's nowhere to go anymore but out, Bean!~

I know that month 8 is MIA, but I can't find the file. You get the idea though. THe belly grows, the chest seemingly shrinks. I look like a homeless woman in every picture. Yada yada yada. I also know I promised sonogram pics also, but the scanner is at my mom's house, and I keep forgetting to take the pictures to the scanner. Its almost anticlimactic to post the sonogram photos AFTER Bean, seeing as how the real thing is probably going to be much more exciting. We'll see what the future holds. Stay tuned, folks. The next post will be announcing Bean's arrival! Yay!!!

Quick and Dirty...

Ok, I'll post more in a bit. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about what the low-down is.

1) Bean isn't here...yet (that's why there is a profound lack of cute baby pics).

2) I'm scheduled to be induced tomorrow...so the end is in sight.

3) Someone (more than likely Tony or Amy) will start spreading the word when there is word to be spread. Check back in here, stay close to your phones, check your email a lot in the next 36 hours or so.

Until then, hang tight! I'll really for realsies post the missing pics later this evening. I have backup meals to make still and I'm starting to realize that I am just about out of time to get everything done!