diaper duty

Hey all! So it's been an eventful week. Our little guy arrived over a week ago, and we've been home from the hospital since last Wednesday. We're definitely in an adjustment period (which is inevitable whenever you get a new roommate), but we've made some major strides over the past couple of days. The biggest accomplishment has been that Brenda is actually starting to get a decent amount of sleep, which she was lacking for several days after the birth. I was quite amazed by how well she functioned with almost no sleep, but I'm glad she doesn't have to keep doing it.

Of Brenda's recent achievements, the birth was by far the most awe inspiring. Now that I've witnessed the birthing process first hand, I have a whole new respect for moms everywhere. Not that I ever thought giving birth would be easy, but it's one thing to hear about it and another thing to see it up close. Brenda decided not to use pain medication, and it was clear that the pain was excruciating at times. Fortunately, once the contractions started happening regularly, the birth went very quickly. My big accomplishment was that I didn't pass out (although I did freak out quite a bit).

On the whole, our experience of having a baby in a German hospital was quite positive. Our room was private and had beds for both of us, and we stayed for three nights after the birth (we had the option of staying up to seven nights). Now that we're back home we have a midwife coming almost everyday to check on our little guy and to answer any questions we might have about parenting. For instance, today she showed us how to give him a bath.

Our plan for the next week is to keep enjoying time with our little dude and learning how best to care for him. As the weather improves we may even attempt a few more outings. We've ventured outside twice so far with il bambino, and he did great on both trips. One of these days we'll take him to the opera house to meet Brenda's coworkers.

So that's what we've been up to. I hope you have a wonderful week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!