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