Togetherness

Keepin' it real

We made a couple trips to Ikea in the past week. Jude's favorite things at Ikea are the $1 ice cream cone and doing tricks in the shopping cart. See evidence below.

Little Things: Ada, One Month

Ada is one month old today. The last week with her has been a pleasure, in large part due to a much-needed visit from Ama (my mom). Ama took all of the night shifts while she was here, giving E Ben as much sleep as he needed and me as much sleep as it was possible for me to have in between nursing sessions. Her five days (and almost more importantly, six nights) were very restorative for our family.

Ada is growing like a weed. She has gained a pound in the last two weeks, and is right around nine pounds at this point. She is nursing very well and starting to develop an approximate schedule. I'm most happy about the fact that she is doing a lot better at night, going about four hours between feedings (and occasionally five hours) and only crying a little bit while falling back to sleep at night. She is still mostly sleeping on or next to one of us at night, but she is doing better at sleeping during the day in her swing or sometimes in the bassinet.

Ada has had her first social smiles in the last week. During her alert periods she is very interested in people and activities, especially enjoying the faces of the people she knows best. Ada and Jude also have a nice connection. She likes it when he spends time with her, reading her books or holding her hand. The two of them in the crib together is really cute.

Size-wise, Ada is out of both newborn and size 1 diapers - we are now using the size 1-2 and they fit well. She is filling out the newborn size clothes well, and starting to be able to fit into some of the 0-3 month outfits. We mostly dress her in sleepers, although Ama put her in a few cute ensembles while she was here.

All in all, Ada seems to be doing just what a baby of her age should be doing. She is eating a little less frequently (but each feeding is larger), starting to recognize the difference between daytime and nighttime, and sleeping for longer stretches at night. She also has a few fussy periods each day, which is only to be expected as she approaches the "six-week maximum fussy age". She is best soothed by swaddling, movement, and being held close. Wrapping her up and taking her for a walk in the sling pretty much always does the trick. She has no interest in pacifiers and spits them out in disgust when we offer one to her. Ada is spending more time awake and alert and seems to be taking in the world around her.

Here are a few photos from the past week.

Ada studies Jude's "Big Brother" book in his crib one morning.

A little bit of tummy time on top of Jude. He loves being close with the baby and thinks that she is so funny.

Sleeping in Ama's arms. She did a lot of that in the last week!

Another asleep pose. She likes to have her arms up around her face while sleeping - if she falls asleep unwrapped.

Little Things: Jude, 21 Months

It's been a big month for Jude. Here are a few of the highlights.

Big Brother: Jude became a big brother this month, and he has taken to it really well. He loves his little sister, and always wants to hold her and know where she is. Lately, she has been joining him in his crib after naps and he reads his books to her. It is pretty cute. Sometimes he asks me to put the baby down and pick him up, but that is pretty much the only time he seems to mind that Ada is around. He is very interested in the fact that she gets to drink a lot of milk (since he is still obsessed with milk himself) and makes sure to tell everyone that Ada drinks milk from Mum.

Counting: Jude has developed a real interest in numbers during the past month. He seems to have a good grasp of the concept of one (UN) and two (TOO). After that, it gets a little bit hazy, but he will continue to count (with prompting) up to five (SHREE, FOR, FIVE). Then he skips to EIGHT, TEN, and THIRTEEN. For example, every morning he asks for TOO FAFFLES and sometimes for TOO EGGS. Sometimes it is SHREE EGGS, especially if he thinks someone else might be sharing with him. When we go outside to play, he likes to find FIVE rocks to carry over to the trees and throw them. For a while, UN was one, and TOO was anything more than one. I think that phase has passed, but it is hard to tell how much he really understands at this point.

Friends and Pillows: Jude has become attached to a few more toys and stuffed animals around the house in the past month. He also has started giving everyone a name. His absolute favorite is BUBBY, the gorilla golf head cover. He also really likes SHOOPER, a skater doll from Terry. Another favorite is STEW BUNNY, an Easter basket gift. All of these friends have to be in bed with him when he naps or goes to sleep at night. He also has grown to love pillows. Every night he asks for the pink, blue, BIG, and TINY pillows in his crib with him. Sometimes I wonder if he's going to use all of these pillows and friends to climb out of the crib, but so far the thought doesn't seem to have crossed his mind.

Singing: Jude has really started participating in our family music time in the past month. He has several favorite songs, including CHEESE (On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese), PUFF (Puff, the magic dragon) and SUNSHINE (You are my sunshine). He'll sing along and (if you give him enough time) he will sing the last word of most of the lines of the songs he knows. He also loves to sing the LI-LA-LI's from The Boxer.

Here are a few photos (not in chronological order) from the last month.

Jude brought his friend HOPPY-HOPPY to Multnomah Falls with us. HOPPY lives in the car, and is often asked to drive the car or play hide and seek while we're on the road.

The other day after reading Green Eggs and Ham, Jude ran into the kitchen as asked for TOO EGGS HOT. E Ben decided that he wanted some green eggs, although we agreed later that he might not even know what "green" means at this point.

Jude has been spending a lot of time at Nee-Nee's HOUSE lately, and enjoys blowing dandelions around the field (just what she always wanted).

We've discovered a new park this month (Lair Hill) which has a big field, playground, and tennis courts. Jude approves.

Play date with Cousin Justus at the Hoyt Arboretum A-Frame.

He still loves to wear Daddy's shoes. Lately he wants to put my shoes on me and his own shoes on himself. He also loves to put socks on his hands and play puppets.

This one is from the hospital. Jude snatched the hat off the baby and put it on his own head. This was the day she was born.

Labor Preparation

After two positive labor experiences, a few people have asked me what I did (if anything) to prepare.

One thing I wish we had done differently was pack our bags for the hospital a little sooner. I had made a list, but it was the kind of list that would be useful to jog my memory, not to tell E Ben what to put in the bags (or where to find these things). We spent a kind-of-uncomfortable 20 minutes with me lying on the bed and him running around saying "What did you mean by 'medications'? Where can I find your nursing bras? What is a nursing pad?". There are a few things that had to wait until the very end, but most of it could have been packed a lot sooner.

Here is a short rundown of things I did while pregnant with Ada:

• Prenatal Yoga: I took a series of classes at Amrita during the third trimester. The classes were a great opportunity to spend a little bit of time focusing on the coming baby instead of the toddler who was almost always front and center. I think that the stretching and strengthening both helped during labor. I did some yoga videos on my own with Jude, but taking a class which focused on pregnant women seemed to do more for me.
• Prenatal Massage: I had really bad back pain in the third trimester with Jude, so this time I had a prenatal massage every few weeks (from Angella at Unwind Massage, who is the best, by the way) starting in the first trimester. For the last few weeks of pregnancy, I was going in weekly. I think this made a huge difference in my comfort level and ability to sleep this time. I had some prenatal massages last time at another spa, but Angella's were much better.
• Swimming: I swam once or twice a week when I could find the time (mostly just in the last six weeks). I think swimming is the best exercise while pregnant, but it is also fairly effortless for me since I'm already a decent swimmer. For someone who finds swimming difficult, this might not be as relaxing.
• Sleeping Pills: By the time I gave birth to Jude, I was so exhausted from not sleeping well during the third trimester, and that made both labor and the first few weeks a lot harder than they had to be. This time I took half an Ambien pretty much every night for the last two months of pregnancy. This helped so much. I was actually able to sleep at night and get through the days without being completely exhausted. I also think it helped during labor for me to be well-rested.
• Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: This tea is supposed to strengthen your uterus and make contractions more "focused" (according to this article and others). I drank a cup a day during the third trimester. I also continued to drink a cup a day during the first few weeks postpartum as this is supposed to help reduce bleeding and return your uterus to its normal size more quickly.
• Evening Primrose Oil: This is another natural labor induction herb which prepares your cervix for labor. I took EPO starting at 37 weeks, beginning with 500 milligrams a day, and ramping up to 2000 mg/day over the course of about a week.
• Childbirth Classes: With Jude, we took a class at the hospital and didn't particularly enjoy it. This time, I re-read the childbirth book but we didn't take any classes. After all, it had been less than two years since the last time we had a baby, and it didn't seem like much had probably changed in that time. It worked out fine, although on the actual night I wished I knew for sure which floor to go to at the hospital and I also wished that we had done a dry run of where to park. I had to give directions between contractions and that was a little stressful.

Like I said, I don't know if any of these things contributed significantly to my positive labor experience, but I wanted to share before I forgot what I did! I think that there is no harm in trying any of these things, and they may help.

Eyes, Two

Maybe we have a crappy camera, or maybe we just don't take enough close-up photos, but I feel like we have yet to get a really good shot of Jude's eyes. I've been studying them lately, and I think they're really beautiful. I've also been struck recently by his eyelashes - thick and black, it looks like he goes through lots of Maybelline.

Anyway, here was the best I could do this week. Jude was not exactly being cooperative when it came to close-up shots of his eyes. In fact, we had our first tug-of-war over the camera. Please ignore the crumbs.

This one is a little dark, but you can see how HUGE his eyes are compared to the rest of his face (which is not exactly small).

And here's a mediocre shot of Ada's eyes. Hers are a much lighter blue than Jude's were at this age, so I think there is some chance that she will end up with blue eyes. Her hair is also getting lighter by the day, so we could have a towhead on our hands.

"Eyes, Two" is a common phrase around our house these days. Every time Jude holds the baby, he points out all of her body parts along with a commentary on how many she has. Like, "eyes, two" and "nose, un" and "hansss, two". Then he laughs when she waves her hands at him, and runs off to the next activity.

Top of the Falls

This morning, we somehow got out of the house at 8am for a trip to Multnomah Falls for breakfast and a hike.

Jude and Daddy at the bottom of the falls (on the bridge).

Ada and Mum at the top.

Along the way, we stopped for some stump-climbing and river-splashing.

A very fun day, one of our best so far as a family of four...

Week Three: Whoa! (or Woes)

Everyone says that week two with a newborn is when it gets hard. For me, this time, it was week three. I think it's because the first two weeks we had a very specific goal: get Ada back up to her birth weight. Everything else was organized around making that happen, and since we got to the right weight at the right time, there was a satisfying sense of accomplishment. The label for the first two weeks is SUCCESS.

Then week three came around. I felt kind of direction-less, with no real goals or plans for the week. We hadn't really come up with a night-time routine that was working yet, so we tried some new ones. One night I kept Ada all night in bed with me, nursing (without getting up) every hour or two and letting E Ben sleep. That didn't work very well - by morning I was tired and he was worried and Ada never got a full meal (she doesn't nurse as well in the side-lying position at this point). On the bright side, while I never got any deep sleep, I also never fully woke up during the night, which felt good in a short-term sort of way. I have a funny relationship with sleep: it takes me a long time to fall asleep and a long time to wake up, so anything I can do to avoid getting into the fully awake state really helps. And getting out of bed, sitting in the rocker, and nursing the baby inevitably wakes me up all the way.

The next night, we decided that I would get up to feed the baby for her first night-time feeding, and then keep her in bed with me starting with the second feeding. But when the first one came around, I was too tired to get up, so we had basically a repeat of the previous night. Now my one night of poor sleep was compounded by another one, which started affecting my days. I don't think I actually did anything for two or three days - just fed the baby, took naps when she was sleeping, carried her around the house when she was awake. Zombie-mode had kicked in, and it started affecting my mood. By Friday, when I went in to see Doris, I was worried that Ada's weight would be too low and that my undisciplined nights would have some unintended consequences (like less milk available for the baby).

We had good news and bad news at that appointment: on the good side, she had a really good feeding in the office (3.5 ounces, which is more than the 3 ounces we were hoping to see). However, she had only gained 5 ounces in a week, which is within the normal range but not the 7-8 ounces per week weight gain that we'd like to see at this age. So we came up with a game plan for the next week. Unfortunately, around the same time Ada decided to start doing a lot more crying at night. Before this, she would just drift off to sleep when she was tired, with little work required on our part. But now, she gets into an overtired state where she cries hysterically (as if she is really hungry) and it has been happening at some point in the night for the past few days. One night I worked on getting her back to sleep for two hours, and when I finally gave up and handed her over to E Ben, she fell asleep in about three minutes. The little stinker. The next couple of nights I let him take the first turn, which should have been a lot easier for me, but since I could still hear her crying it wasn't entirely restful for me either.

So, nights are getting tougher in the soothing-back-to-sleep sense. But we did have a great milestone last night. After her 3:45 feeding, I got Ada all comfortable and wrapped up and back asleep and then put her down in her bassinet, where she actually slept ON HER OWN for two hours. This is huge, as we really want her to start the transition to sleeping by herself at night.

On the bright side, I did start and finish a book this week (it was YA, so not the most challenging of my life, but still felt like an accomplishment). I also got out for my first solo walk with Ada. I strapped her into the sling and walked on the trails around our house for 40 minutes. It felt great, and I need to start making that a part of every day, even if it's only for 20 minutes. I also had my first solo-parent-of two experience this week. E Ben had to be out on Thursday evening, so it was up to me to put Jude to bed while also taking care of Ada. I was a little bit worried about it, because getting Jude to bed is a pretty physical experience and I didn't think I could do it very well if the baby needed to be held at the same time. Luckily everything went pretty easily as I was able to get Ada settled in her swing while going through Jude's bedtime routine.

Ada is becoming a little bit more predictable during the day, which has been nice. She has an awake period or two in the morning, eats a few times, and then takes a nice nap in the afternoon. She is awake and hungry in the early evening, then takes a "nap" for a couple of hours starting at around 7pm (just in time for us to put Jude to bed and have some dinner of our own).

One final note - I weighed myself this week and I'm almost 10 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Ada. I was kind of expecting this, since I only gained ~10 pounds total during this pregnancy (I was sick for most of the first two trimesters and then on a low-carb diet in the third trimester). But still, it was kind of surprising to see the number on the scale! We'll see if it is temporary or permanent this time - with Jude I had an initial weight loss but then jumped up again when I started taking the medication to increase my milk supply. Hopefully I won't need that medicine this time, and won't have the same issue.

How can we help?

When you have a new baby, friends and family really want to help, but it can be hard to know what to do. We've had some people make meals for us, and they have been delicious. But E Ben really enjoys cooking dinner (he sometimes calls it the best hour of his day), so a meal cooked by someone else doesn't really feel like much relief to him.

What we really need are some extra hands around our house. Our days are spent feeding the baby, holding the baby, playing with Jude, sleeping, and getting things done around the house. That last one tends to be harder and harder to accomplish with two kids, just because one of us is holding the baby and the other is tending to the toddler. When Jude is napping or asleep for the night, we have some time, but by then we're tired and usually just end up going to bed or watching something on TV.

I don't want to speak for all new parents, but for us the most helpful thing that someone can do is come over and hold the baby for a while or play with Jude in the evening. This gives us a chance to take a shower, go for a run, clean the kitchen, do a load of laundry, or work on the computer for a little bit. We've been lucky to have help many nights, between grandparents and friends. We've also hired a teenager who lives up the street to come over one night a week to babysit for Jude for a couple hours before bedtime (so far, we have stayed home while she plays with him; one of these days we will make it out for dinner with the baby).

So if you have some free time and feel like holding a baby or playing with a very fun toddler, please come on over! We'd love to see you - and your hands...

Little Things: Ada, Two Weeks

To celebrate two weeks of life, Ada had an appointment today with Dr. Jack. Here are her stats:

• Weight: 7 pounds, 13 ounces (35th percentile)
• Length: 20 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 36.5 cm

The great news is that she is back up above her birth weight at two weeks of age, which is a really positive indicator for her growth and my milk supply.

We also checked in on Jude's size while we were at the doctor:

• Weight: 32 pounds (95th percentile)
• Height: 36 inches (95th percentile)

So, he is height/weight proportional at this point, but still creeping up a little bit on the weight side. Nothing to worry about for now (he definitely does not look overweight), but we do need to keep an eye on this to make sure his weight doesn't get too high.

In her second week of life, Ada had many new experiences. She had her first bath, and seemed to enjoy it. We've started going on some family walks with Ada in the sling and Jude either in the stroller, walking, or in the Ergo. She sleeps the whole time. Ada also had an eye infection, probably caused by a plugged tear duct. We got some antibiotic ointment which needs to be put in her eye three times a day. It took me a few tries before I figured out how to actually get it IN her eye instead of on her eyelids (tip: don't try to force a baby's eye open - just wait until she opens her eye on her own and then sneak the ointment in the eye). Ada also had her first tummy time. She didn't try to lift up her head, but she also didn't complain about being on her tummy. She would sleep that way if we let her, so it's not an uncomfortable position for her.

Ada is still nursing 9-10 times a day, although over past two days she has been nursing much more frequently. We suspect it is the predicted two-week-old growth spurt, and I for one can't wait for it to be over! Nights are still a bit difficult with feedings every few hours, but Ada is becoming more predictable. She'll usually nurse at around 10pm, then sleep for about 3 hours, nurse again at around 2am, sleep for another 3-4 hours, then nurse again sometime between 5 and 7. She does like to sleep in the morning, so (if Jude allows) we can usually go back to bed until about 9 or 10, when she is up for the day. We still have not been able to get Ada to sleep in her bassinet at night, although we'll probably try sometime this week, now that she is back to her birth weight. We wanted to focus on one thing at a time, so we haven't been worrying about the independent sleep in order to make sure Ada was getting enough milk.

Here's a cute photo from a few days ago.

We've started a little bit of blanket time each day. She likes to roll over onto her side from her back.

I kept Ada company for her first tummy time.

Ada does really well in the swing (Jude did not like it much). Once she's drowsy, we can put her in the swing and she'll sleep for an hour or so.

Overall, we're all doing well (although more tired than usual). Hopefully the next week will bring some independent night-time sleep for Ada and continued weight gain. Other than that, I would like to get out of the house more often and have some time to read a book!

Finger Olives

Jude had his first taste of "finger olives" yesterday. He thought it was really funny to have food on his fingers, but didn't really want to eat all five of them himself.

Getting Comfortable

Here are a few photos from the last couple of days.

Jude and Ada snuggling together in bed yesterday morning.

Ada and Daddy on the bathroom floor during Jude's emergency bath. She is about the size of his head!

Out for a walk. Jude on Daddy's back, Ada in the sling on front. I got a pass on child wearing since it was only my second time out for a walk since the baby was born. I felt good, though, so hopefully I can carry Ada myself pretty soon...

Ada squirms in her Ralph Lauren sleeper (courtesy of Terry).

Bathroom Time

Ada likes to hang out on the bathroom floor in the mornings while I get ready for the day. The floor is heated and there are tile patterns to study. Who knows? Maybe she will be a mathematician like her namesake.

Little Things: Ada, One Week

Here are a few details about Ada at this age:

• She only likes to turn her head to the right while nursing. This means that she lies across my lap to nurse on the left side, and in the football hold on the right side. Doris postulates that this was her position in the womb and it may take a few days or weeks for her to finish "unpacking".
• The hair pattern on top of her head is interesting. She is almost bald (with only a few fuzzy hairs) on the crown of her head, and then the back and sides have long, slightly wavy hair.
• Ada's umbilical cord stump fell off on Saturday night, at just under six days old.
• Ada doesn't seem to like the dark. She gets agitated if we turn off all of the lights in our room at night while sleeping, so we've been sleeping with a light on for the past few days. We've been moving the light farther and farther from our bed, and hopefully we'll be able to use a dim night light at some point. The funny thing is that we had considered getting blackout shades for Ada's room, since Jude will ONLY sleep when it is dark, but decided to wait until after she was born. Looks like we'll be able to keep the ones we have, based on her current preferences!
• Ada has a cute little dimple between her right cheek and chin. I've seen it a few times when she was pretending to smile after feedings.
• Ada is nursing about 10 times a day, usually every 1-3 hours, including 3-4 times at night. She has had a few longer stretches, including one 5 hour interval last night. I really appreciated that block of sleep!
• Ada prefers to sleep on her side with her arms around her face. We swaddle her for daytime sleep, but at night she is still unswaddled in bed with one of us (we take turns from one feeding to the next).
• Newborn size clothes are still a little bit too big, and newborn diapers are just the right size.
• Ada likes the swing, the car seat, and the bouncy seat. We have been able to put her down for some daytime sleep in each of these. So far, she has fallen into a deep sleep on every car ride she has taken.
• She seems fairly impervious to noise and movement, sleeping through Jude's chatter, shrieks, and jumping all around her. Every morning when he wakes up, Jude wants to read his books, drink his milk, then hold the baby. Then later on (after breakfast) he comes back down (if we are still in bed) and wants to play some games in bed with us. These games usually involve hiding under the covers, jumping around, and trying to point out all of Ada's body parts (nose, eyes, mouth, hands, etc.). She barely blinks.
• Ada seems to have a fairly calm temperament so far. She rarely cries unless she's hungry, cold, needs a diaper change, or wants to be held. I'm sure that will change as she gets older!

Here is a photo of Ada sleeping this morning at one week of age.

A close-up of the umbilical cord stump.

E Ben threw this one off the deck into the trees (I threw Jude's to the same place).

Weigh-In

I took Ada to the hospital today for her every-other-day weight check. Great news! She gained almost three ounces in two days. I also fed her while we were there, and her meal was a little over two ounces. We were hoping for a two ounce weight gain and a one-and-a-half ounce feeding, so she has exceeded expectations...:)

Big smiles in the Cornett household.

Ups and Downs

The first few days home with the new baby have been a little rocky at times, but all in all the good moments have outnumbered the not-so-good.

Walking in the door after driving home from the hospital was a little overwhelming for me. My world had shifted from a tiny overheated room with an uncomfortable bed and 24/7 room service to a whole house (and since we had turned the heat down during the warm weather over the weekend, the house was very cold when we returned). I remember thinking: "How am I going to be able to do all of this walking?" A trip from the living room to the kitchen was taxing, never mind going up and down stairs or to the bathroom several times an hour. Plus, adding Jude to the mix changes the game, as it's no longer possible to focus solely on the baby and my recovery. He needs to know that his Mum is still available to share some toast with him, read books before bedtime, and play some of his favorite games. After being home about a half hour, I felt a little lost. I couldn't figure out what to do first, or next, so I just sat in a chair and rocked the baby for a while. Luckily E Ben and Terry were able to take care of everything during my mental paralysis. By the time we got up the next morning, I was feeling stronger and less daunted by being in my own home.

The next day and a half went really smoothly. The baby nursed and slept, we had a few visitors, and an appointment with Doris which was really positive. The baby was nursing well and the feeding in the office was twice as large as we were hoping to see, a very good sign.

Thursday night hit us like a ton of bricks. We had grown used to the "easy" nights with Ada where she would nurse and sleep (as long as someone was holding her). Thursday night at about 10 everything changed. She woke up for the first time, with eyes wide open and no drowsiness in sight. For the next six hours, she alternated between crying, acting frantically hungry, and nursing. By the time she fell asleep at 4am, both parents were exhausted, and I started wondering if maybe breastfeeding wasn't going so well after all. I feared that my milk supply had started its slow decline, and that once again we were going to have to go through superhuman measures to keep this baby fed.

Our lactation appointment that day was somewhat reassuring, as Ada had gained 2.5 ounces in 2 days (the goal is an ounce a day). But the feeding was on the low end of acceptable, and we only got to a full ounce after switching back and forth four times. We left the hospital and drove to Costco to pick up a few things, and Jude basically lost it in the car. We had set up the car seats so that Jude was on one side, Ada in the middle, and I would sit on the other side. This did not work at all. Jude couldn't keep his hands off the baby and he didn't like having me in the back seat with him; he was too distracted by me to do his usual car-ride activities. After a lot of crying and a few wrong turns, we made it to the store. I went in while E Ben had a talk with Jude. Then they rearranged the back seat so that Jude and Ada have a space between them and I sit in the front. The ride home was a vast improvement and we haven't had a repeat meltdown since then.

After a relaxing afternoon at home and a visit to our Portland friends at the biweekly "Family Friday" party (where it was really nice to visit with friends and especially the other moms with babies), we got Jude home and had some fun family time before he went to bed.

Then I started feeling bad. My physical recovery, which had been going really well, seemed to take a step backwards with increased abdominal pain and other issues. The lack of sleep from the previous night hit me hard. And I started imagining all kinds of worst-case scenarios involving my possibly declining milk supply (pumping, supplementing, medicating, bottle feeding, etc.). Not that any of these are really so bad, but in my state that night, it just put me over the edge. Luckily E Ben has some experience with handling my postpartum emotions, and was able to calm me down and then he sent me to bed to get some sleep.

After a good night's sleep and a good night for the baby, I felt much better the next day. We had help around the house all day, between Terry and other family visitors, and the baby started feeding better. I also called the doctor and got a prescription for my medical issues. We had a good day and night last night, and the world seems rosier now. Ada is a lovely baby, and it is wonderful to be able to enjoy her during this brief newborn stage. We're still having our challenges (for example, she only sleeps well while being held) and I'm sure there are more to come, but I'm feeling good about our next few days and weeks.

I'll leave you with a cute photo from the other day. Ada is sitting in her bouncy seat contemplating her octopus toy from Liana.

Saturday Photos

Aunt Kathy came over for a visit this morning, and Ada decided to wake up and look around. She had about an hour of alert time, by far the longest stretch so far. I think we can safely say that her eyes are dark blue...