Sorry for being MIA so much, but I am taking a break from posting. I just don't have the time nor motivation right now.
I will return soon with a new design and some other improvements.
Stay tuned...

A little update on us...

Baby Veronika is now 4 days old but it seems like it's been a lot longer for some reason. We're still adjusting because this newborn stage is extremely unpredictable as we're still getting to know our new baby girl and all her preferences, likes, and dislikes. Two nights ago she gave us quite the 'fun' evening and screamed/fussed for 6 hours straight (8pm-2am); it was very hard because you want to help them and yet everything you try does not change a thing. We finally concluded that since she was passing a lot of gas, she must be working on her first dirty diaper but we weren't entirely convinced. Well surely enough, around 2am she made her very first poop since meconium and went back to sleep for a good four hours. Phew.

So last night, after the previous night's episode, Matthew and I mentally prepared ourselves for another night of fussying, since most newborns fuss and scream in the evenings anyway (we know Natasha gave us her fair share). So when Veronika finished her last bottle at 8pm, we both headed to bed in hopes of getting as much sleep as possible before she wakes up screaming again. But to my surprise, the next time I looked at the clock it was midnight! Our baby girl slept for 4 hours straight and did not make a peep. I have to admit that was a good break and a much needed rest we both needed. She then ate and fell asleep for another two hours. It was great. But we'll see what the following few nights bring...

On a different note, we've both been noticing how different Veronika is from what Natasha has been at this age... Not only does she look different, but she's shaped different. For instance, Natasha wore her newborn-size diapers for about two months before switching to size 1's. Veronika, however, has chubby thighs and the newborn sizes we bought her are totally snug and barely fit her! So after finishing these 2 packs of newborns we have, we're graduating to size 1's for sure. I think she also eats a lot more than Natasha did at this age. But otherwise, she's been a very calm baby this far. And Matthew's been awesome with her - I don't think I washed or boiled a single bottle since getting home from the hospital. He also set up a 'feeding station' in our bedroom where we keep a can of formula and bottles pre-filled with water so that all we have to do at night is mix them. Quick & easy. He also gave Nika her very first sponge bath two days ago, so I am definitely going to miss his 'services' when he goes back to work tomorrow!

 
Introducing

Veronika Claire
April 2, 2008, 7:26 AM
8 lbs, 19.5 inches

I was having what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions starting on Monday and all through Tuesday (March 31st-April 1st). They were very irregular and not very painful so I simply dismissed them as warm-up contractions and didn't pay too much attention to them. On Tuesday evening (April 1st), when Matthew got home from work, I told him I was beginning to feel pretty painful contractions and started timing them to look for a pattern. They were anywhere between 4-7 minutes apart and caused me to wince in pain, but nothing too major. So from around 6pm-8pm I was timing them using an online contraction timer and they still remained 4-7 minutes apart.

I was starting to get a bit nervous, but I didn't think we needed to go to the hospital just yet. So I talked to my mom and gave her a heads-up that this might be early labour and that we might need her to watch Natasha for us real soon. But my mom started insisting that we go to the hospital that night just for a checkup to see if I am progressing at all. I agreed but was hesitant because my hospital sent me home TWICE when I was in labour with Natasha because apparently I wasn't in "enough pain" and only "1 cm dilated". Our hospital is a 40-minute drive away and I didn't feel like going over just so that they send us home again. My mom kept insisting we go, and Matthew kept insisting we stay home longer. I didn't know what to do!

Finally around 10pm I decided that I better be safe than sorry and told my mom we might as well go to the hospital. My parents then arrived around 11pm and stayed at our place with Natasha (who was asleep) while we took our hospital bag and grabbed a taxi to the hospital. We arrived there around midnight and headed straight to triage. I had to stop a few times and lean against Matthew because the contractions were getting stronger and more painful. At triage, I got hooked up to the monitors and observed for about 20 minutes (the contractions were 3 minutes apart). Then the doctor on call came in and checked me - I was 4-5cm dilated! Totally not what I expected. Needless to say, I was admitted right away and hooked up to the IV.

A few minutes later, a nurse led us to an L&D room and asked me if I wanted an Epidural. Oh, yes, please! So she told me to go and use the bathroom while she goes and gets the anesthesiologist. I said okay and headed to the restroom. But before I had a chance to get there, I had a super intense contraction and at the same time heard a loud “pop” coming from inside my belly. And then all of a sudden there was a huge gush of water leaking unto the floor! I guess my water broke...! It was amusing because my water never broke on its own with Natasha. I think there was enough water to fill an entire bucket, if not more. When the nurse returned, she assured me it's a good thing because it will speed everything up. Good. A moment later, the anesthesiologist walked in and administered my Epidural. It wasn't painful at all, just required me to sit still through really painful contractions.

For some reason, the Epidural didn’t work for the first hour and the nurse started saying something about “potential failure”, but about ten minutes later I realized I haven’t been feeling any contractions in a while and realized it must have started working. Yay! By that point it was around 3 o'clock in the morning. The nurse then advised us to rest and told us she’ll be back later to check and see if I was progressing more. We rested, but I don’t think either of us slept much. By 7am on April 2nd (Wednesday morning), the nurse told me I was 10cm dilated and asked if I wanted to push. Um… do I get a choice here??? 

I pushed for about 25 minutes, and Veronika Claire was born at 7:26am on April 2nd, 2008, weighing exactly 8 lbs and was 19.5 inches tall. (Natasha was 7 lbs 11 oz, and 20 inches). She was sooo cute and we don’t think she looks anything like her older sister. Natasha has always been tall and skinny, and we are thinking Veronika will be short and chubby! Haha. I did tear, but only required 2 little stitches (nowhere close to the amount of stitches I required after Natasha was born). So the entire labour & delivery were much quicker this time in comparison to the previous time.

Veronika is doing well, and Natasha is adjusting. I think both Matthew and I are adjusting too, and even though this is our 2nd child, it's a whole new learning experience all over again!