Nothing better than the real thing

After supplementing little Asha's diet with formula for the past couple of days, this morning we were very happy to be able to put her cold turkey on the formula and 100% on the real thing. It is very satisfying to hear those little swallow sounds happening while she is nursing! Mama is doing a great job adjusting to life as a food source :)

We are looking forward to see how much more weight our little butterball has gained, and confirmation that we can banish the formula to the back of the cabinet.

In the afternoon we had some of Leanne's family and other friends over to see our precious Ruby. Like a true hostess, Asha slept soundly through the entire visit, but no one seemed to mind. Here's a nice shot of the family:



More updates on Flickr!

Milk-oholic

Little Asha Ruby continued to be ravenous last evening and night, including a marathon 2 oz feeding session in the middle of the night. Luckily for us, those were usually followed by some pretty deep slumber:



This afternoon, we had a return visit to the pediatrician to check on her weight. It turns out that our heavyweight champion had put 3.5 oz back on to get back up to around 7 lbs 11 oz. The pediatrician and parents were very pleased. We'd venture a guess that Asha is a lot more pleased as well:



She has continued to nurse steadily throughout the day but at a more moderate pace. The good news is that Mama's breastmilk is starting to come in, so we should be off the forumla supplements pretty soon. We also got mama some Soothies which seem to be living up to their marketing!

More photos up on Flickr...

Day 3 Update

It is hard to believe that little Asha Ruby has been with us for just over 2.5 days. Throughout the last night and morning, she had been amazing us with her seemingly insatiable appetite for nursing. Several times this morning, she also transformed from the peaceful baby we knew into a fussy (read: loud) one. We can confirm that a baby's cry is hardwired to trigger her parents' desire to find out what's wrong, and quickly!

Fortunately, Asha had her first pediatrician's appointment early in the afternoon. She was weighed again and came in at 7 lbs, 8 oz which is roughly 10% off her birth weight. This told the pediatrician the simple fact that our fussing sweetheart was just really hungry. She showed us how to supplement our breastfeeding with formula using a small tube and syringe until Leanne's milk comes in (sometime in the next couple of days). After sucking down 1 oz of formula, Asha was much happier and we returned home with our previously peaceful baby, ready for a well-deserved nap (for all of us).

Here's a photo of her right before her nap:



There are a few new photos from today up on Flickr.

Introducing Asha Ruby Morris!

Mama Morris started having contractions on Thursday, August 24th at around 9am. After a long labor, Asha (AW-sha, not ASH-a :) Ruby was born on Sunday, August 27th, 2006 at 12:11am. She weighed 8 lbs and 5 oz and measured 20.5 inches. She is peaceful and beautiful, and Papa and Mama Morris are constantly in awe of her. Mama is home with baby and recovering well.



Expect more updates in the days to come. In the meantime, head over to our Flickr site for more photos.

Last days as the baby of the house

Someone around here is NOT having a hard time waiting for the baby to make her entrance... Little Johnny cat has a rude awakening coming when our little one makes her big debut. For the past few months, Johnny has been the lone cat in the house and thus the recipient of much attention and baby-talk. Although he will remain the solo feline, I am imagining that he will soon be jealous of much redirected attention and baby-talk. I think he will enjoy all the new smells around, though!

Despite our love for Johnny, the humans in the house are waiting for baby in a big way. Most first time mothers have their babies a week or so past thier due date (and mine is the 26th), so we could still have a bit of a wait ahead of us. I did a massive nesting house cleaning on Friday and Saturday, but other than that there have been no real signs of impending delivery. She could come any day, though. My midwife says that all looks good and baby will come when she is ready. We're ready when she is ready (and yes, we know that cats and pillows are not safe in the crib while baby is in there)!

The final stretch...

I am 38 weeks pregnant today, which means that the baby could come anytime between now and a month from now (42 weeks is as long as they will usually let you go before being induced). The last few days, I have felt much more tired and sore, which could be a sign that things are starting to "happen". As this is my first babe, I'm not sure if I should expect the process leading up to actual labor to be long and drawn out or quick, I guess we will find out. Charles and I are starting to feel ready for baby to arrive, but happy to wait a bit longer as well. We are getting excited to meet her! This is a picture taken of me a few days ago in one of the two shirts that still fit comfortably. A couple of weeks ago my midwife said that the baby is "not small," and feels like she is over 7 lbs already. We may have a big healthy one growing in there!

Extreme living/dining room makeover

One of the things that immediately struck us when we first saw the house was the living and dining room stretching the length of the house as soon as you enter: the tall vaulted ceilings, the large windows lighting up the room, the slate fireplace, the pink carp... wait a second, is that really pink carpet?

Following a call to the hardwood installer, some very precise painting by Suzanne, a few trips up a rickety ladder by Mark and a lot of furniture arrangement, we've managed to make the room a little more "ours".

Before:


After:


Before:


After:


Before:


After:


And yes, this story has a happy ending... even the pink carpet found a happy home thanks to craigslist!

The "before" picture

Now that you've caught a glimpse of the newly transformed nursery, we thought it would be fun to contrast with the original picture of the room as it was when we first saw the house. Keep in mind that an 80 year-old couple lived here!



We'll continue this before/after look at other rooms of the house...

The Belly! (part deux)

And now for an up-to-date, zoomed-in belly picture:



Whoa! As Leanne likes to say: "There's a baby in that lady!" Notice the cleaning outfit being worn because of that nesting...