Same same but different

November has been a difficult month for me (as you can tell with the lack of blog posts).  It is the busiest month at work, and it was also the last month for us to get ready for our second child, Ava, who was scheduled to arrive via c-section on 3 December.

The latter is in past tense, because our baby girl sprang a surprise on us at 36 weeks, just like her brother Aiden, who decided to come out at 35 weeks plus back in 2011!  If early signs (pun intended) are anything to go by, they should get along pretty well.

Aiden on the left, Ava on the right.

Look how similar they looked at birth!  Unfortunately, they also share jaundice, tongue tie and low birth weight between the two of them.  A quick visit to a clinic settled the tongue tie, and now it's up to Mummy Cher's breast milk and the sun to fix the rest.  Seeing how Aiden has grown since 2011 really helped to put me at ease the second time around.  Unlike the first time when I was constantly worried, I am confident that things will be ok for Ava in time to come.

I was so happy to see Aiden gently stroking Ava's head.

I am also glad that all the prepping which started months ago helped Aiden to settle into his role as a brother and protector of his baby sister pretty quickly.  We will share our personal experience/tips on how to prepare your first born for a newborn in time to come (we need to make sure it really works!).

Even with all the similarities between brother and sister, it is also already apparent how different Aiden is compared to Ava.  From their cries, I (and our neighbors) could tell that Aiden is the gentle giant, whereas Ava is the chilli padi.  From their feeding habits, I could tell that Aiden is the "eat-all-you-can" type, whereas Ava is the "fine-dining" type.  You know, a small bite here and there, and some conversation (or cries) in between.  I have a feeling we can't use the exact same parenting methods that we used on Aiden this time around.

One thing's for sure though, life will never be the same again (and again) with Ava joining our family.  Looking forward to it!

We took this precious family photo a few days before Ava joined us!