quick update - 2 days old

So both girls are doing well.

Veronika left ICU and got her own above-standard private room yesterday morning. It even has a bed for me to stay in for the night if and when I want to (for example tomorrow night, Christmas Eve!) She is still a little slow moving (much better even since the morning), but fully mobile. Just no jumping up and down on the bed or running down the halls.

We went up to visit Rebecca in the NICU early this morning, and she had been taken out of the incubator overnight and was just in a warm bed, with blankets. We spoke to the doc and he wanted to send her down by Veronika, since she wasn't at any risk, just needed to gain some weight. He said that from today he expects that Becky will need to stay at the hospital about 7 more days. The idea being that as is typical, she has dropped a little initial weight and they want to make sure she is steadily gaining weight before she is discharged.

But just a little while after our visit she came down to the nurses station across the hall from Verča. Then from there we can roll her bed into the room to try and establish breastfeeding and for bonding and such. :) But the nurses will roll her back across the hall and let Verča get some rest at night. Maybe another day of this, and then she'll be non-stop in the room with Verča, whether she likes it or not! :)

So I think that's it for now.

The girls are doing quite well today.

The little one is slow to feed from the big one, but even that has improved dramatically in the last several hours.

More pics are up on the flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/corybenson

Rebecca Roubaix Benson

So a bit of a crazy evening.

We went to the maternity hospital today after Veronika had some small problem/sign that she should get a check on how the kid was doing.

Everyone there was super laid back and didn't seem too excited, but then ultimately said that Veronika need to to have a c-section immediately. So within 15mins of walking in the door, I had signed a form naming the child (for both a boy or girl), and another authorizing anesthesia and a c-section, all in czech of course.

I'm pretty sure the last thing I heard out of Veronika before they took her into the operating room was her calling the kid 'Potvora,' which is pretty much a familiar/friendly way to say monster, beast, or some other less savory names you might call someone who causes trouble all the time :) As I've said many times before, 'czech women are trouble.' :) This one wanted to show who was in charge right from the beginning.

So at around 17:15 local time our first daughter Rebecca Roubaix Benson was born in Prague after 38weeks 3days. She was 2.15kg and 46cm at birth. (4lbs 11oz. and 18")

Being quite small (skinny actually) but not premature, they took her to the intensive care unit for close observation. I got to play with her for a while, and she is pretty cute. Strangely less alien looking than all of the other newborns I've seen. :) In the local method, I even got to sign her as my own, writing my name on her to avoid any mix ups. But after a while they had to take her off, to keep an eye on her more closely.

Unfortunately Veronika having needed an unplanned c-section was in a good bit of pain and was on some hearty painkillers. This also put her in the ICU for mom's for the night too. And of course here that means I got shooed away as an unnecessary bystander, banished until the morning. :(

Anyway in the end the attending Doc was a nice woman who spoke some English with me, reassuring me that everything was in their hands til the morning, and that both girls would be recovering well overnight! :)

So that's it for now. I'll leave you with these:

week37 day1 + little snow

She's driving in our first measurable snowfall of the year.

Can you tell she is pregnant?!

It's easy to see that she's focused (which is good.)

Well Veronika and Žibřidka have made it past 37 weeks now, which means they are full term, and the smallczech could pop at any moment! Yikes! Our good friend Hanka (Hannah - english equivalent) who was at our wedding was due 26 December, but had her daughter a bit sooner on the 3rd or 4th! Anyway, we took that as a kick in the butt, and think we are as ready as we're gonna be now :)

As for the belly actually if you look close, behind her arm, the big fleece, and the seat belt, you can see the light blue curve of it sticking out. It's there! And it adds just over 6kg (13lbs) more now. 

OK, the smallczech says to drive safe!

-c+v+ž

week35 day2 Belly update

So here is a good example of our current photography problem.

The only time to get a good shot of Verča and her belly is in the evenings at home when she is relaxed.

What we end up with are dark and grainy pics from my crappy camera.

(It take nice pictures during summer when the days are long and the sun is bright. Winter is a another story!)

Plus she has gotten lazy! :) Apparently no more standing up for pictures. Slouching is the new black! But there is a good belly there. The smallczech is even in a weird enough position that you can see a nice squarish flat spot on Verča's belly.

Look at that huge thing! It's like the StayPuff Marshmallow Man! I wonder how long till it takes over our apartment?! (I think January 1st is the planned takeover/invasion?! We'll have to wait and see!)

We send our love from Prague!

-Cory + Verča + Žibřidka (aka our future Overlord)

how to celebrate?!

Well the smallczech isn't here yet, but I need to think ahead.

The tradition here is for the new dad to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible after the new child is born. The drunker the dad, the healthier the child will be.

Anyway guess I need to get prepared!

So what is the best way to celebrate a new kid and get really drunk at the same time?

My first guess for the celebrating part is Champagne. Plus that will get you pretty drunk.

But not very child-oriented, you say?

How about we throw in some Disney characters, and probably some fruity flavors?!

Well that's certainly more kid-friendly!

And probably will get you even more drunk.

Now the question just remains: Hannah Montana or Winnie the Pooh?

week32 day6 and she's out drinking...

To be fair it was to celebrate my (Cory) birthday with friends, and as you can see behind Helča's (Helen - english equivalent) head we found one of Prague's few non-smoking restaurants (which has great food too), and as I see in front of Veronika, she is drinking grapefruit juice.

But anyway, we were out in a bar and so a cameraphone picture was required. Verča is hiding her belly behind some glasses of beer and some czech ketchup, so better luck next time. (You really could look at pictures of her months apart and not know she is pregnant, with a few camera tricks!)

That's it nothing else.

Dinner was nice, thanks for asking :)

-c+v+ž

Weekend Bike Ride pics - week32 day2

So the problem now that we are back in Prague until the smallczech rears its head, is that it has gotten to be a bit wintry here. It's not been so cold. Only once or twice do I recall having a frost in the city up til November.

But anyway the leaves had changed and the many layers of clothes came out for biking. (Verča has traded in her biking shorts for my more 'roomy' ones for several weeks now.)

What this means is that pictures of maminka (czech for mother) are become few and far between. Basically with all the extra clothes layers on, you can't really tell how pregnant she is (only about 5.3 kg now, no yet 12lbs.) Her belly which looks huge (now, wait til the end of December!) when she doesn't have any clothes on, is well hidden by several winter layers of clothes, and even with tight biking clothes, all but completely disappears when she is on the bike, (which is probably good so guys don't feel so bad when she still passes them.) To be fair she does actually ride slower now, but really appreciates getting out and moving around!

But she still keeps moving (see above.) Luckily she does stop for a breather every once in a while (usually when I tell her to stop for me to take a picture.) And in this last one you have a hint that she is pregnant under there somewhere (or has been eating too much traditional czech food!)

So still healthy, happy, and having fun on the smallczech front!

-c+v+ž

week29 day3 update

a few more run of the mill sonogram pics from the day after we got back to Prague. The first one here confirms that the smallczech has a nose (and a properly closed skull.)

I think this shows a brain or something in that skull?! Your guess is as good as mine!

OK, that one was creepy. This is the token baby staring out of the uterus straight at the sonogram sensor. Makes me think the kid could see us and was watching back! Like I said, creepy! :)

OK, here is some more bone structure. Basically the smallczech is too big to get many more decent photographs before birth, so I think we'll leave it at that for sonogram pics.

Anyway, everyone appears to be doing well.

-c+v+ž

Last Bikini Pics - week29 day2

So here we are...

99% sure there won't be any more of these bikini pictures.

When we left Prague on Wednesday morning it was snowing with a forecast for 3 days with more precip and only a slim chance of daytime highs above freezing.

and yet here on the Gulf of Corinth today, Verča is enjoying the warm weather and a refreshing swim in the crystal clear waters of this relatively calm extension of the Ionian Sea.

But of course as the weather was finally quite nice, it was then time to leave. We packed and cleaned up for the trip, checked out, and relaxed by the pool and sea until our bus to the airport was ready to leave.

Žibřidka also got a little bit of sun. Which will be her last until spring we assume. As we left Greece it was 25°C (77°F) and when we landed in Prague 2 hours later was 5°C (41°F.) And with Daylight Savings Time coming to an end here next week-end, I'm pretty sure Verča won't be exposing that belly to any outside air for a while. So Žibřidka will have to wait and see the sun with her own eyes in April or so.

We'll leave you with one last picture of Verča and I and the belly, enjoying every last bit of sun we could. We are all doing well here, and will actually be happy to be home and relax a bit!

-c+v+?

some reluctant Bikini Pics - week29 day1

We escaped to Greece for a few days, courtesy of Veronika's work. The annual International cancer research conference was being held at the Hotel Poseidon Resort outside of the spa town of Loutraki, Greece; again about an hour's drive west of Athens.

Since Verča is 29 weeks pregnant, she was able to convince her work that I should come along to keep an eye on her and make sure there were no problems traveling (which there were not.) So I got transport and lodging payed for, and was able to tag along and keep her in line (which is as hard as it sounds!)

So after we got to the 5-star resort in sunny and beautiful Greece, it got cold (around 11°C) and started to rain. Which is what continued all Thursday, most Friday, and Saturday. A lovely bit of weather for a vacation. I rode my bike 130km on Thursday in the constant rain to Mycenae, and went into Athens in the afternoon on Friday (where it was warm and clear for a couple hours).

Ultimately the rain stopped and the sun poked out on Saturday evening for an early sunset; and we thought it may be our best chance for reasonable weather of the trip. We quickly ran up and got our bathing suits on and headed back for a swim...

Needless to say it was still only about 18°C (64°F) and the water temp was equally brisk. Verča was a bit reluctant to get in the water as can be seen through her typical facial expression above.

She made it in about to the knees, and ran out for a couple of warm towels. I swam for a bit. It wasn't bad once you were in and swimming; but I started to get cold the second I held still.

But we thought it might be our last/best chance to swim in the sea.

As you can see Veronika is doing well and has gained about 5kg (11lbs.)

But her belly has gotten nice and round.

All is well here with us.

Veronika's best friend had a healthy boy named Daniel a week and a half ago.

We hope the same for you too.

-c+v+ž

Probably the last outdoor Bikini pics of the year - week26 day3

So I think it is officailly no longer summer. On a state-mandated 3-day week-end (national independence from the Austrio-Hungarios, or something) we finally got a warm sunny week-end; and it still only got up to 65 degrees. Oh well, autumn can be nice. Although it tends usually to be a bit wet here. We'll see. Anyway, here's another set of Bikini pics with the now clearly visible watermelon that Verča swallowed, probably the last from the Czech Republic.

(actually I'm pretty sure we'll have some warm days when we end up in Greece for a few days for Veronika's work conference in a few weeks. It's definitely awesome that her work is footing the bill for me to tag along and keep an eye on my pregnant wife!)

It still doesn't look very big when she is standing; and when we are biking it pretty much seems to disappear; but sit her down on the couch after a long day; and you've got a small whale beginning to grow in there!

Generally Verča and Žibřidka are both doing very well, it seems. The mother is moving a bit slower on foot. (She still is moving fine on the bike, though; just pedaling with her knees pointing out a bit to miss that growing belly!) And especially slower when she is walking down stairs.

Worst off is of course me, who now has two kicking him in bed every night. At least the little one can't reach very far, yet.

I think I finally talked Veronika into eating a bit more as she is now up to 57.5kg.
OK, that's all for us.
More pics to follow after we're back from Greece in three weeks.

Again More Bikini Pics - week20 day6

 

 

So a little more time, and we are back in the city.
Summer in Prague can be great, as we spend the afternoon and evening relaxing by the riverbank in a city park. Everyone is just enjoying the weather and waiting for sunset.

And now were talking... This pregnant lady has started to look the part.
Just past half way down. Here's to 4.5 more entertaining months.
(and that ever-increasing belly!)

Doing well, and finally gaining some weight; now 54.5kg 

week20 day3 update

So I forgot to mention that the almost main reason I was supposed to go to the doctor with Veronika two weeks ago was that we wanted to find out if the smallczech was a boy or a girl. We have been kind of default been assuming a girl and calling her Žibřidka. It is an old Czech name of the father of a famous King from Czech history, modified in the typical way to make a girls name. Basically it is a name so Czech that it can only be pronounced by Czechs or a few outsiders. (for an English speaker to say it, try to say Drzib-rzid-ka. Yeah it's not really possible.) It is actually so Czech that no Czechs know what the hell we are saying.  It was based in a joke about trying to find a real Czech name as hard to say as possible. Basically kids can't say it properly here until about 5 years old and many go through speech therapy to get it right.

Don't worry, we aren't really going to name our daughter (if it's a boy it will be Žibřid anyway, the original name of the historical father), but for the time being it will stop anyone from asking more questions.

That being said the doctor was trying to use the ultrasound to find out if the smallczech (Žibřid or Žibřidka) was a boy or a girl. Last time he couldn't tell, as the smallczech was pretty much sleeping and not positioned well to see. So I was invited back a second time for more ultrasound viewing:

 

today we started off with the full side view, where you can see that the smallczech is now 23.1cm / 9 3/32" tall. you can see that she's starting to not fit on the screen any  more.

this one gives a good view of the spine again and the outline of the skull.

that's a shoulder to foot shot. pretty much a complete side profile below the head, where you can see the lower ribs pretty well, as well as thigh, lower leg, and foot bones.

here is a five fingered hand. you can't really tell, but I think the smallczech is picking it's nose.

here is another cool vertebrae shot.

uh, yeah this is another in the super creepy sideways alien baby face pictures. my apologies for any nightmares caused.

this one is supposed to be interesting cause it is another weird skull shot. you decide.

As we have now seen, unfortunately the smallczech was very active this time but still not cooperating. So boy or girl, we don't know yet. The doc thinks probability is maybe 60% for a girl since we couldn't see anything. But we'll have to wait and see. 

Since they like to screen women over 30 a bunch here, Veronika will have several more quick sonograms before this kid pops out. So we might still find out ahead of time. Hey, Veronika's best friend just found out at the end of her 7th month that they will have a boy, after he managed to keep his legs together for a long time.

OK, all's well here.

Keep checking back and maybe I'll actually put up pictures of the mom some day too.

-c+v

week18 day5 update

Veronika's doctor thought that it would be best fro me to go see the smallczech before the 20th week. He had indicated that at up to this point the kid would be small enough to see pretty much the whole kid at one time in the sonogram. After 20 week, the kid has apparently grown so much that the sonogram can only really get bits at a time.

So he scheduled a intermediate 18 week appointment for me to come spectate. It was pretty much the only reason we went, apart from me learning the czech words for body parts. Here are a bunch of photos he took:

 

here we have a nice side shot where you can see the spine and the outline of the smallczech's skull.

  

this one is supposed to show the skull. if you are imaginative, you can make out a pair of eye holes and a mouth out of the dark spots on the head.

  

here is the full side view that the Doc promised, where you can see that the smallczech is 18.3cm / 7 1/4" tall.

in this one he was pointing at the heart beating.

this shows a complete leg with bones visible.

 

here you can see a fist below the head.

 

this nicely shows the individual vertebrae and internal organs.

 

this is the creepy smallczech alien face of the week.

OK, so the pictures are pretty repetitive and require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but I thought I'd scan all the ones we got. In reality the 45 seconds or so of video of the sonogram was by all means cooler and much more impressive. The software on the GE imaging machine wouldn't output video, so we're left with these stills.

In the end mom and smallczech are well and both getting bigger.

-c+v

week15 day5 update

OK, some fresh info here.
Maminka (mom in czech) went to check up on miminko (baby.)
Both are doing well.




looks like we have at least one whole leg and foot (above) and a slew of vertebra (below),combined for a total length of 16.22cm and an estimated weight of 119grams.







here there appears to be a pair of hands and a fairly un-alien-like head in profile (above) and a more alien-like skull/face (below.)




Well, that's about it Verča and the smallczech seems to be quite healthy. Unsurprisingly, the smallczech seems to be quite durable, as s/he survived the expedition over the highest point in the country last week-end with his/her mother, father, and a few other adventurous czechs.

Take care, and we'll relax a bit more for a few days.
-c+v

More Bikini Pics - week14 day3

It's been a few weeks.
Summer is nice. Today was the end of a state-mandated 3-day week-end; and after a long bike ride on Saturday, some gardening on Sunday, Veronika has been trying to relax and soak up a bit of the sun.

Looking pretty good for a pregnant chick!
(especially 3 1/2 months prego!)

Doing well, with negligible weight change; today 53.2kg 

week10 day5 update

10 June 2009 10w5d

OK, so next update is from our third sonogram visit.

Verča is doing well and the smallczech is 10 weeks and 5 days along.

Not much actual smallczech related news.
At this point the OBGYN has noted what appears to be the existence of properly developed nasal bones and right amount of fluid in the nuchal scan?


The smallczech was apparently very active and the doc had a difficult time getting him/her to hold still so the sonogram could see what it needed to. But things seem to be fine, so now waiting to get out of the first trimester and to tell everyone.


Up to now we were being cautious and not spreading the news far and wide.
Now we just want to be able to tell people.
-c+v