Meet my Mommy!

Hi! Jamee has asked for my reflections--thus far. So here I go. . . . Wow, what a journey this has been. I feel very blessed to be the mother of this precious little baby boy (sometimes at 2:00 a.m. I may not identify him as precious!). He is such a miracle. He was prayed for long before we were even pregnant, prayed for all during the pregnancy (by many family and friends--thank you all!) and prayed for during the delivery. And of course we will continue to pray for this kid his whole life.

I really had no idea what we were in for once he arrived. The delivery went well--don't get me wrong--it hurt, but it went much faster than I had anticipated and I was happy that I was able to do it naturally. When I finally asked for an epidural, they informed me that I was fully dilated and it was time to push. While I was pretty focused on pain control and pushing, I do remember watching Joe and seeing the excitement on his face as he watched and assisted with the birth. I also remember the hospital staff telling me to open my eyes and look--that the baby was coming out. And there he was--slime covered, two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes, pretty perfect and oh so cute. It was amazing!

Now we're 10 days into this parenting thing. My day is all consumed with diaper changes (though Joe is a huge help in this arena), feeding, burping, and pumping and then starting it all over again. Before I know it we are at the midnight feeding. Where do the hours go? If I'm lucky I might get a load of laundry done or a meal or two cooked. We are starting, however, to establish a bit of a routine--which is good. However, I continue to struggle with getting poor Jamee to breastfeed. I end up having to pump and give him the milk in a bottle (apparently a no no in the breastfeeding world). But I do want him to eat and gain some weight.

Jamee still is sleeping quite a bit. Joe and I can't complain in that he generally has been giving us 4-5 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. We'll see how long that lasts. I have been known to say, however, that I would much rather wake up to a crying Jamee than a contraction!!

Well, we'll continue along this journey. I am in awe of this little life that we have been entrusted with. I expect there will be challenges along the way, but I look forward to each moment Joe and I have with Jamee!!

More Jamee photos!

Cousin Arin keeping an eye on me.



Elmo does love me!



Going home from the hospital.



Opa with his Yule Log.



Heading for home with mommy and daddy!

My first Boxing Day!

Hi everyone!

Today is my first Boxing Day. I'm not doing a whole lot--just eating, sleeping, playing with a new Toy I got yesterday and of course creating "situations" that cause my mom and dad to change my diaper frequently.

Yesterday was pretty amazing--my very first Christmas. Though I wasn't expected to arrive until January 1, my family welcomed me with open arms for the Christmas festivities.

My mom and I were discharged on Christmas Eve so I got to go home and see where I will be growing up. It's a pretty nice place--certainly big enough for my mom, dad, me, Pippi and Dalilah (the cats). Right now, we have my Oma and Opa visiting and their dog Gabi.

On Christmas day, mommy, daddy and I hung out at the house in the morning, had breakfast and read the Christmas advent reading together. It was a very nice quiet morning. Oma and Opa went to the Kurtz cousins to be with them while they had their birthday party for Jesus (mommy said we will start that tradition in our family too) and opened their presents from Santa. It sounded like fun, but I'm glad we decided to stay home since none of us got a lot of sleep last night.

When Oma and Opa came back we opened our stockings and our presents from my Aunt Lucy, Uncle Mike and cousins Timmy and Sarah. I got some pretty nice outfits. I'll be styling for sure! I can't wait to meet them in person.

After we finished our stockings, we did a bit of cooking for our big Kurtz family Christmas party at Uncle Paul's and Aunt Susanne's house. We had a "French" Christmas--basically the menu was French. The food smelled amazing. We arrived at the Kurtz house by 4:00 p.m. Everyone arrived at the same time and began unloading presents and preparing the food for dinner. We had a wonderful evening. I was passed around to just about everyone in the family at least once.

We got back home by 11:30 p.m. and everyone was pretty tired--mommy especially. We probably did overdo it a bit, but it was worth it! I had a very special first Christmas!

One day old!

Hi everyone! I'm a whole day old now! Where does the time go?? I had a great evening last night. The Kurtz and Termer cousins and aunts and uncles came to visit (I think they are all pretty neat!). Check out the photos that my mom and dad took. The Kurtz cousins made signs to brighten up our room and to welcome me. It was a great time. My Oma and Opa also came to visit me after visiting hours ended. Since they were coming from Ohio and in snowy weather, the hospital allowed them to come in and visit. It worked out well since I got my first bath before they arrived and looked quite handsome afterward.

I'm looking forward to meeting my Hoffman counsins and aunt and uncles too in the near future and of course my Mimi and PawPaw.

I also got a good night sleep. I woke up mom at 1:30 a.m. for a snack and then the nurse came in at 6:00 a.m. to change me and wake me up for another snack. However, compared to the night before I feel very rested (and I think my mom and dad feel much more rested too).

Tomorrow I get to leave the hospital and see my home. I'm very excited. I also get to meet Pippi and Delilah my two cats.

More Little Hoffy Baby Photos

Welcome James "Jamee" Robert Hoffman

Hi my name is Jamee Hoffman and boy did I have quite the night last night! My mom's water broke (whatever that means) at 5:30 a.m. yesterday (the 4th Sunday of Advent--pretty cool). She and my dad were off to church for Sunday school by 8:55 a.m. My mom played her violin with the joyful noise ensemble during the service. It was all Chistmas music. Someday I hope to play an instrument too--but that's a long way away.

So between Sunday school and church my mom called the doctor's office to inform them that her water had broken. She was, however, not having contractions yet. The doctor told her that she would call back at 4:30 p.m. to see if contractions had started. They had not, so my mom and dad were told to call the hospital at 7:00 p.m. to get instructions. By 8:45 p.m. mom and dad were heading out the door toward Highland Hospital via Roberts Wesleyan College to drop off some things for Monday. I should mention that the weather outside was "frightful"--lots of blowing and drifting snow and even though I was well insulated yesterday--I could tell it was really cold outside.

Mom and dad arrived at the hospital at 9:30 p.m. and I arrived in the world at 5:48 a.m. Monday, December 22nd (the day before my Aunt Susanne's B-day)! What a trip that was. It was much faster than anyone, including the doctor's, had expected. My dad watched the whole thing and is still in awe over the miracle of birth. My mom saw me enter the world--but she was pretty focused and was just relieved that I had arrived safe and sound. She and dad think I'm pretty cute!

I've been pretty spent today--with all the activity of last night. I've slept a good bit of the day. Though I have been trying to learn how to eat. This sucking technique is pretty tough to conquer. I kinda liked it before when I got fed through the cord--much easier. My guess is that this is one of life's many challenges I will face along the way.

I'm very excited to meet my new extended family and friends. Thank you all for praying for me over these last nine months. Please keep praying for me as I continue to grow up! Can't wait to meet you all.

Love,

Jamee aka Little Hoffy