On December 6th at 2:38 am Sophia Frances Kehrig was born.
In the short time so far getting to know each other she has been extremely cute, maddening (the midnight witching hour...shudder), confusing (hungry, gassy, cold, all of the above?) and an absolute joy for her two happy parents.
Ever since it was confirmed that Chrissy was pregnant we have been waiting to meet her. So, I don't feel too bad documenting the pregnancy through pictures before we get to what you really want - baby pictures.
Our first glimpse of her was in ultrasound and 3D imaging form at 11 Weeks.
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| Week 16 |
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| Week 18 |
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| Week 23 |
Week 28 Pregnancy Pictures courtesy of Monica Kehrig Photography
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| Week 31 |
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| Week 38 |
Christina's water broke at 7:11am on December 6th and she calmly informed me "it's go time". We headed to the hospital and she was hooked up to a monitoring machine.
The baby's heart rate was strong but the contractions were extremely small. We were told to head home, relax and then come back at 6PM.
Once we were back at the hospital they hooked Chrissy up to the same machine and then gave her a stimulant to induce labor. It took an almost immediate effect and it was truly "go time".
After a few hours of contractions, a complication and some excellent nursing and Doctor attention we found ourselves to be parents...and it was a girl.
Throughout the pregnancy we declined learning the gender of the baby. As it would be a surprise we deliberating for weeks on names. Well, that isn't exactly true - we deliberated on boy names. We always knew that if it was to be a girl, she would be Sophia, after her Grandmother. We also knew that the middle name would be in homage to both of our fathers Frank and Francis. Hence, Sophia Frances Kehrig.
And here she is!
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| 60 Minutes Old |
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As the baby was cesarean born we stayed in the hospital for a couple of days so Christina could be monitored. I stayed with her during that time to make sure her and Sophia were well taken care of. I needn't have worried. The staff at Sturgeon Hospital were amazing! They nurses were extremely kind, personable and professional. I can't say enough how thankful we were for the service they provided. Truly amazing.
We tried to keep visitors at the hospital to a minimum and were a little silent in sharing the news right away with people as we wanted little Sophia to ourselves and wanted to ensure Chrissy got time to rest and heal.
Exceptions were of course granted for family. The dark Kehrig hair and eyes are her most striking features and a bit of a fascination for the fair haired family of Chrissy. It has been the first thing commented on by her family almost every time. Monica, my sister and 'on-call' professional photographer visited us in hospital and took a couple of cutie pie shots for us.
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| Her Father's grimace |
After our 'luxury stay' at the hospital (the nurses were so good it felt like that) it was time to go home.
I am not big on tradition but one of the traditions I wanted to maintain was based on a receiving blanket. Every one of my siblings and many of my nieces and nephews have been brought home from the hospital wrapped in the same receiving blanket. With care we wrapped Sophia up in her car seat and left the hospital.
First stop when we got home was the Christmas tree with the family blanket. Just look at the joy she possesses to be home :)
The first night at home was a bit of a sleepless gong show,. This was followed in the next few days with jaundice and fussiness. However, everyday continues to get better and we are enjoying our feed, stare at baby, nap, repeat schedule.
It would be remiss if I didn't stop during this post and proclaim just how impressed I have been by my lovely wife through the whole pregnancy, delivery and early motherhood stages. She has been brave and strong beyond words. Sometimes I just have to stop and marvel at how fantastic she is and how lucky I am to have her in my life. I love her more everyday.
For the rest of my life I will strive to be as good of a father to Sophia as Chrissy is a mother. If I can achieve that I think she will be alright.
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