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~