Sleepless in Richmond...

After one week of parenting, Mushi and I have perfected the art of waking on demand. Actually, Mushi has and I am still struggling to get up three times a night. Although I can't help with the feeding, my job is to change her diaper and put her back to sleep, which can take from 5 minutes to an hour. Mushi is usually nice enough to let me skip one shift per night.

Sushi is progressing really nicely. She is eating a lot and Mushi's milk factory was able to kick into full production quite early. Sushi has regained her birth weight.

Another sign of a healthy progress is that I have been changing at least 8 diapers a day for the past few days. It's quite incredible the amount of stuff that comes out of this little body. Sushi eats lots and releases lots. I am getting quite good at changing diapers now. I can get her wiped, dried, vasolined and re-fitted in less than 30 seconds.

You may wonder how big Sushi is now. Well, she only gained 1/2 cm from her birth length and weighs about the same. Not much in terms of growth, but she certainly made up for the lost weight, which is expected of a new born. Mushi and I thought to give Sushi a visual growth chart, and since I am the closest thing to a giraffe, I am the chart!! As you can see, she is now 1/4 Pushi. (well, she did not lie straight here, she was busy sleeping.)

Another observation I made was that even at 4-5 days old, Sushi has already begun to find her own style. Gee, I thought kids only start to be cool in teenage yesrs. Here is a photo of her posing as she sleeps. See what I mean!

Having a child is truly a blessing. It allows us to appreicate the very little things in life again. The little toes that open up as I tickle the bottom of her foot; the tiny hands that are learning to grip my pinky as she tries to pull up; the little eyes that constantly wander begin to focus on me; the little mouth that for awhile is used exclusively for crying and eating begins to show "smily" spasms... the little things that we have taken for granted. Sushi is like a treasure box, and we are discovering new things everyday. We wonder what her potential is in life and more importantly, how we can help as parents to maximize that potential... Sound familiar? Mushi and I certainly look at our own parents a little differently now. We thank them for what they have done for us and we pay forward to our next generation.

We now conclude Sushi's birth journey. Mushi and I want to thank you for taking the time following the blog and being with us every step of the way. Because of your prayers, God blessed us with a healthy Sushi. Take care!! The Sushi family loves YOU!!

Sincerely,

PMS-(Pushi, Mushi, Sushi)

Sushi Fun!!

Now that both Mushi and I have "sort of" adjusted to our new life, I thought I'd take some time to update the blog. The past two days seem blurred now with so much action. I feel like we've had Sushi for a week, but in reality, she is just a little over 2 days old... ha... This is the only time I am glad that a good time isn't going by fast. The take home lesson is this. If you want a good time to last, wake up and feed every three hours.

Let's go back to the beginning. Here is Sushi on the scale showing us who the champ is. I stared at my new boss with a proud smile. As you can see, she weights 6 lbs 3 oz and measures 51 cm long. She is thin and long just like her daddy!!

As an overwhelmed and over excited father, I just couldn't stop myself from pressing that camera shutter button. The funny thing is that I hated it when my dad always took pictures of us boys when we were young, and I guess that particular "gene" did pass down to me. Anyways, I find newborns so interesting because of all the learning they have to do to survive. I saw Sushi learn how to be fed, how to communicate (well, that one is fast, CRY, but to different degrees, mild, moderate, and severe), and how to pass gas and other unpleasantries through her system.
Here is a small collection of her still-quite-limited-emotions. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.








God has given me great women in my life. What can I say about Mushi. Watching the sacrifices she made to bring Sushi into this world gave me a whole new appreciation for mothers. Mushi is alreay an awesome mom and Sushi is lucky to have her as her mother. I want to thank another awesome woman in my life, grandmashi, for all her help. It has made the transition much much smoother.

Finally, Mushi and I want to say thank you to all of you who have been praying for us throughout this incredible journey. I really did not appreciate the pregnancy to the full extent until the moment I saw Sushi arrive in style. We loved every second of it, and we will do it again (well, I better check with Mushi first) !!!




PUSHI

SUSHI IS HERE!!

After 2 days of contractions, Sushi is finally here. Mushi set the hosptial record for "pushing" time. It took her a whopping 11 minutes to get Sushi out. And on the last push, Sushi flew a distance of about 1/3 of a foot onto the table. I've never seen anything like it. Super cool... The doctor had just walked through the door and the nurses were filling her in on what was happening so so no one caught her!
Anyways, lots to do today, We will tell more a little later. Everyone is doing well. Sushi is feeding on the first try!! I must get back to the hospital now!!

Almost but not yet...

Quickly another week has gone by. I was anxious all week in Montreal as I unsuccessfully tried to focus on the meeting and instead kept checking my cell phone for the labour call. All the worry was for nothing. It appears that Sushi is trying NOT to be an "early" person like I usually am and is already taking after Mushi... "Almost but not yet...", a famous saying from one of our dear friends came to mind as we anticipate Sushi's arrival this week.

The weekend was fun. The Cashews were in town pre-maturely this weekend. Little Cashew did not get to see her cousin, but she did test out Sushi's bedroom for her. From Cashew's expression, I think we have her approval. She continues to amaze Mushi and I on how quickly she is growing and learning. I will surely have my camera ready to capture Sushi's once in a lifetime moments.


Mommy Cashew came for a walk with Mushi and I in Steveston. Mama Cashew has been Mushi's best friend and mentor in the whole baby thing. Our moms are great but as we all know, sometimes we, as the 21st century tech savvy generation X, often question the validity and efficasy of the Baby boomers' advice and techniques. But then again, "You young people were the subjects of our techniques and you all turned out fine!" protests grandma Sushi. That's true : )

Well, gotta keep on waiting. I am the impatient one in the family, and it's always that much harder when it's near the end. I thank the Lord for giving Mushi good health and abundant joy during this pregnancy, and I also thank the Lord that He did not make men carry babies.

As we go forward... Cheers Mushi. You deserve all the ice cream you want!

PUSHI.