It looks like autumn has arrived in full-swing now with the majority of leaves already on the ground. Natasha is fascinated by all this since last Autumn she was a tiny one or two month old infant and slept through most of our walks, not to mention she was simply too small to notice. This year it's all too amusing to her and she loves watching the maples leaves fly in the air. She also loves holding them on the way to the park. Yesterday I let her sit in the midst of a bunch of those leaves and play with them. She was all too fascinated and played with them for some twenty minutes.

Tonight is Halloween. I have Natasha's costume all prepared and we'll go outside in the late afternoon to take photos. She's going to be a black kitten - I just hope the costume still fits her. We are not taking her trick-o-treatin' as she's simply too small and will neither understand what's going on, nor be able to use the candy. So hopefully she'll cooperate for the photo session!

Natasha is getting very 'toothy'. She now has 10 teeth in her mouth which is a mouthful, for sure. Only days ago I thought she had eight teeth (all incisors), until a couple of days ago when my mom discovered a molar on her bottom left gum. Not only was it out, but it was well out. That explained all the screaming in the middle of the night and interrupted naps with more screaming fits in between. Poor kid, those molars are sure being difficult on her. So while applying some Oragel to her inflamed and sore gums, I discovered yet another molar on her top left gum. That one only had a sharp corner out, but nevertheless it was out and cutting its way through her poor gums. She's been sleeping a little better the past couple of nights but I am sure it won't last too long. Yesterday, I went to Shoppers Drugmart and bought her her very first toothbrush and safe-to-swallow baby toothpaste. We brushed her teeth before using a rubber finger-brush, but lately she has started biting on my finger really hard so it was time to stop that. We gave the toothbrush an attempt yesterday but she just kept sticking her tongue out and wouldn't have any of it. Oh, well, we'll just have to keep trying.

Update: Number 11 on top right has cut through overnight. Poor baby.

On a different note, this is how I discovered Natasha napping yesterday. I quickly had to leave the room because I was dying of laughter. Of course, I had to call Matthew and let him see this, and snap a picture too! Too funny. This just doesn't seem comfortable at all!

Today was my monthly ob/gyn check-up, at 16 weeks of pregnancy. First, I went to the administration desk and submitted my hospital registration form, once again requesting a private room. I requested a private room with my last pregnancy as well, but the hospital was out of them the first night and I ended up stuck in a semi-private. It was not fun. Matthew had to spend the night in a chair and we had to share the bathroom with another family. But the second night at the hospital, a private room freed up and we were moved. It was way better - Matthew would definitely agree because he got his own bed with fresh bedding and everything. The privacy was nice too. So hopefully we'll get a private this time around for the entire stay.

Next I headed to the labs and had my Neural Tube Defect blood tests. Six blood vials later I was all done. It wasn't too horrible, just as pleasant as a blood drawing can be. After that I went to see my doctor's nurse who took my blood pressure and weight and indicated both were fine. Then, some 20 minutes later, I finally got to see my OB. He checked the baby's heartbeat with his Doppler and it sounded great! He told me all my tests from the previous month were, in his words: "really good - as good as they can get", which of course, was very relieving to hear. Let's hope they continue to be good until the end.

Now, Matthew and I are anxiously awaiting November 13th to (hopefully) find out the gender of the little bean. Yes, Matthew is coming with me. I made him take the day off. Woohoo!

Natasha is now thirteen months old and I am beginning to really love this stage. She's like a walking sponge - absorbing everything she sees, hears, and experiences, and a little monkey - after absorbing it all, she tries to copy and imitate everything to as much of an extent as it is possible for her.

For example, we allow her to watch Baby TV on Rogers on Demand every day, which consists of different educational programs for babies. Her favourite part is Baby Songs which is a collection on nursery rhymes and other colourful baby songs with friendly characters. Natasha absolutely loves this program and we can feed her anything when she watches it! But it is really interesting to watch the elements she pulls out of these cartoons and how she tries to copy them. Her most recent one is blowing air kisses. No one in our family taught her to blow air kisses and yet she constantly does it, which I know she learned from a little girl who blows an air kiss at one of the cartoons. She also sings along and dances whenever these cartoons come along. She's a very musically inclined baby.

Other new things she's recently learned to do is make barking noises when she sees a dog outside (and sometimes a squirrel - I don't think she can clearly distinguish between dogs and squirrels yet! My mom taught her this); she can point to herself when I ask her "where is Natasha?" (I taught her that one); she also grabs her head whenever she deliberately drops something to the floor and it's absolutely hilarious (I taught her that one, too!).

I am getting a lot of fun out of teaching her new things, but inspite all this, Natasha is still 100% a daddy's girl. Whenever Matthew leaves for work in the morning, she sits on the living room floor with the saddest look on her face; it's a little depressing. And whenever around 6:00 PM she hears the keys in the door, she crawls as fast as possible towards the front door, so that I have to yell "careful, careful!" to Matthew so he doesn't knock the door on her head. Generally, her Papa means "playtime" and "fun" and "going crazy", while Mama means "bedtime", and "food", and "washing bum after dirty diaper", but also "snuggle time".

I absolutely hate it how maternity clothes are so expensive. For something that is to be used for 2-3 months it's a complete rip-off. And you cannot avoid buying them either, because personally, I refuse to wear huge sweatshirts and baggy pants. I want stylish clothes. And stylish clothes can only be found in the specific maternity stores like Motherhood Maternity or Thyme Maternity. But the prices in these stores are outrageous. I am talking $79.99 for a pair of simple blue jeans. $49.99 for a simple sweater. It's ridiculous. And like I mentioned before, you would only be using these items for three months maximum before they become totally useless. And obviously one cannot wear a single pair of pants all through pregnancy or a single sweater. You would need a few pairs of each which would add up to an astronomical amount.

With my first pregnancy I bought a lot of brand name maternity clothes because I was working full-time in a rather formal-attire office. I had no choice. Gladly I kept all of those clothes, but what makes it worse is that all the shirts - every single one - is a summer shirt with short sleeves. This time around I need long-sleeved shirts because I will be pregnant through winter. Ugh. At least I have enough pants to take me through. A winter jacket is another issue... maternity jackets are $89.99 which is outrageous. I still have to decide what to do regarding this as winter can get really cold. I visited the maternity section of Old Navy but their pregnancy wear, as opposed to their regular wear, is of absolutely horrible quality. It is just plain ugly. I couldn't find a single piece in there I could see myself wearing.

I just wish there were more options for such a huge market!

On his blog, Matthew posted one of the saddest videos I have ever seen. It has to do with a little baby, and we both bawled our eyes out watching.

99 Balloons

It's incredibly heartbreaking, but also very inspirational. You will need volume and a box of tissues.

Natasha has been a bit down lately. First, she developed a minor reaction to her MMR vaccines which she received at her 1-year doctor's appointment. The Pedi indicated she might develop a rash and a fever about a week later, and although she had no fever, the rash did appear. Matthew and I noticed a red rash spread on her tummy and thighs and she also had large red splashes over her tummy and chest. It didn't seem to bother her in the least, so we let it be, and surprisingly it was completely gone the next day.

However, the following day, her nose started leaking and she just wasn't acting like her usual self. She was crankier and developed a minor cough. We're not exactly sure if this is associated with the vaccine too, or whether it's just a little cold. For the past 2 nights she slept really well at night, then took a 1-hour morning nap and a 3-hour afternoon nap. She never takes such long afternoon naps which just shows she was over-tired and not feeling normal. She ate less and drank a lot more. She's getting better now, but still not 100% back. Her mood is pretty good, though.

Friday night was a fish night for us. I am a huge fish lover but definitely not a huge seafood lover; shrimp, mussels or anything else in a shell is just not my cup of tea. My favourite type of fish is Tilapia - either baked or fried, it turns out soft, flaky, and generally great tasting. I also love salmon, white fish, carp, and several other types of fish. And I guess it partially co-relates to my upbringing where many of my favourite family recipes included fish. At special occasions such as holidays or birthdays, we always had many types of fish dishes on the table - baked fish, sandwiches made of canned sardines, herring salad, tuna and potato salad... the list can go on. I grew up eating mashed potatoes with herring and onions for breakfast every Saturday morning. And to this day, this is my absolute favourite meal - ever.

Then I met Matthew and things changed... Matthew was not exposed to fish during his life, and in fact, his understanding of fish came down to eating tuna from a can. Ugh! That is generally all he knew. (Sorry, Matthew, but it's true!) And so when he started visiting my family for occasional dinners, my mom would serve all kinds of fish dishes which he was not familiar with. We would have fried Tilapia and mashed potatoes for dinner; herring with Borodinsky bread as an appetizer before dinner. And as snacks, we sometimes got the infamous Russian Red Caviar (don't even get me started on how much I love this!). Matthew was skeptical at first, but also curious. He slowly started learning the names of different types of fish and their colouring, and Red Caviar quickly became one of his favourite foods! And now, whenever my mom brings us over a container of Caviar, Matthew is ready to eat the entire thing in seconds. He has definitely become a fish lover and I am glad to have transferred that unto him.

So back to Friday. Since I was at home, I messaged Matthew at work and asked if fish was ok for dinner. After getting his, "yes yes yes", I got 2 Tilapia fillets and then found a fantastic recipe online because I wanted to try something new. Lemon Garlic Tilapia turned out fab! We had it with creamy mashed potatoes. Here's the recipe:

Lemon Garlic Tilapia (serves 2)

• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp butter, melted
• 1/2 clove finely-minced garlic
• dash of paprika, pepper, and spice mix to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with either cooking spray or brush with a bit of melted butter.
2. Rinse fillets under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Place fillets in baking dish. Brush the garlic on top of the fillets, then pour lemon juice on top. Drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with paprika, pepper, and the spice mix, as needed.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until fish is white and flaky.
(I added a mixture of frozen veggies to the dish as well, before placing it in the oven). Yum.

So in case you still don't know, we are happily expecting baby #2. Matthew and I have been keeping it quiet for the past two months, but we finally ended up spilling the news to most of our extended families only a few days ago. We found out we are expecting again on August 1, 2007 and once we got over the mixture of shock and excitement, we called our moms and shared our news. Both moms have been excellent at keeping it quiet this long - the first 3 months of pregnancy are simply too risky and can result in miscarriage, and that is the main reason we did not want the entire world to know. Post the 3rd month, miscarriage risks significantly decrease and that is when it's the safest to spill the beans. I am 14 weeks pregnant today and due April 5, 2008.

Of course, I also shared the news with my friend Laura rather quickly because she and I have been talking for close to 4 years, and the last few months we discussed kids and family quite a bit. It was a very pleasant surprise when only 3 weeks after I told Laura we're expecting, she told me she's expecting too! We are both due in April - now, how cool is that? I also e-mailed Aida because she and I have daughters who're only 3 days apart, and Aida is also expecting her second one a couple of months before me; naturally, I just had to tell her as well.

So, a short recap of the past two months: I had to deal with a pretty horrible morning sickness each morning - the toilet has become my best morning buddy. Aside from this, I have had a pretty strong aversion to smells - poopy diapers are the worst and I try to have Matthew change dirty dipes as much as possible; else, my entire breakfast/lunch/dinner will be in the toilet. Other smells have sent me puking as well. Pregnancy-brain is another thing that is driving me absolutely crazy. This includes (forgetting to defrost food for dinner, going outside into the heat in warm, fuzzy winter slippers, arriving at the laundry room without the laundry card... I could go on and on). And yes, pregnancy-brain is a real condition.

And this is our latest news (although not to us, of course). I've had my 12-week ultrasound already and the photo of the little bean can be seen in the picture above (yes, I made that in Photoshop). My next Ultrasound is scheduled for November 13, when hopefully we'll find out the gender of the little baby. Matthew is hoping for another little girl, but only baby knows for sure. Our babies will be 18 months apart, and I think in the long-run, it would be great for them to grow up together with a sibling close in age.

Today Natasha had eggs for breakfast for the very first time. She did experience eggs before through other sources like cakes, but never by themselves. Most sources advise you not to introduce eggs (especially whites) until their first birthday and since we're past that, we decided to give it a shot. I made her one scrambled egg with lots of milk to make it fluffy and surprisingly enough, she ate 9/10th of the plate. Of course, initially, she made a sour face but the realized it wasn't so bad and continued opening her mouth. She had some bread with butter on the side as well. Yay. That went pretty good. We're definitely working on expanding her menu now that she's curious about new flavours and has 8 teeth to process the food. One food that has been extremely unsuccessful is cottage cheese - she absolutely cannot handle its texture and gags each and every time. Oh, well.