36 Weeks--ANY GUESSES?

So much has happened in the last little while--and so much hasn't changed. It is hard to describe what we are feeling. Sometimes it is mind-boggling to think of all the things we have experienced and felt, and other times it just feels like a routine day-in-the-life. We are SO excited to have Jelly Bean. Only 4 weeks to go, which feels like so soon and an eternity at the same time.

Prenatal classes have been very informative, and this coming week is our last one. We have discussed everything from labour and delivery, to breastfeeding, to fatherhood. This week we are covering basic baby care, which should be fun.

A funny thing happened in class a few weeks ago. We were discussing post partum care for mommy, and the health nurse conducting the class had us pick a bunch of items from a box related to that subject. We then had to guess what significance each item had. I picked a plastic spoon, and it was to symbolize meal preparation after birth. The funniest thing was when one of the husbands picked a plastic squirt bottle out. When the nurse got to him, asked what it might be for, he was very confident in saying it was for proper hydration. The nurse smiled and said that might be one significance, and then informed him there was another. She said the bottle was called a "Peri" Bottle, and that it could be filled with warm water and used by his wife to squirt on her 'parts' when urinating after birth to prevent stinging. The look on the husbands face was PRICELESS. He turned a little pale processing the information and promptly held the bottle at arms length, as if contemplating the thought of its real purpose was a little too much for one prenatal class. It was all me and the rest of the class could do not to keep from busting up. Good thing he didn't pick out the giant maxi-pad the lady after him got!!!! :D

In between prenatal classes, we have had many doctors visits, with lots of time spent waiting in Waiting Rooms. Coming up on Tuesday we are going to the hospital for our pre-admission appointment. Matt and I are both very excited. All these little things are falling in place, and I know we are going to have this baby sooner than we can imagine.

Jelly Bean is definitely no longer a jelly bean in terms of size. My goodness, this kid moves a TONNE! It is so cool/weird/wonderful to actually be able to feel individual limbs kick and stick out. Matt is fascinated by Jelly Bean's acrobatic routines and his new favorite thing is to have me lie with my belly next to his back in bed so he can join in the sensation. He has frequent conversations with our little Jelly Bean and loves to discuss all the fun activities and music he has to share with him/her. He is going to be one great dad, and I love it!

Lately, I have fallen in love with ice chips. That's all I want to eat/suck on. In fact, my darling husband was so sweet and went to Walmart and got me a big bag of ice, just cause I like the ice with the holes in it best. It can't be a regular cube. Needless to say, I'm in heaven, and enjoying a cup as we speak.

Baby preparations are progressing and we are having fun looking and learning and doing a little shopping. We still haven't got a tonne, but we almost have the bare necessities ready to go. Really, we don't want to purchase a tonne of clothing until we find out the sex of the baby, but when we do, it is going to be so fun.

OH---For those of you who read regularly and want to take a guess at the sex and the Birth Date for JB, leave a comment---it might be fun to see if anyone can nail the date. Remember, my official due date is February 27, but we're curious to see what you think about the WHEN and WHAT! :)

Secret Smiles

Have you ever watched a pregnant lady sitting quietly in the mall, or maybe the library, or even in the park, and seen a little smile cross her face? I can almost guarantee that little smile was inspired by her little Jelly Bean. I know for me, those secret smiles mean one thing: my Jelly Bean is busy rolling and kicking away.

When a mother first feels her baby, they call it "quickening." I think this is an accurate way to describe it. At the first flutter of life, your heart quickens and you suddenly recognize that your life is really about to change forever, and then, to add to the accuracy of the term, time suddenly seems to speed up and WOW--here we are, almost at week 34. For those of you keeping track, it is about 6 weeks until my due date. From the way Jelly Bean is moving now, it is hard to remember the little flutters I began feeling. In fact, there are moments when I'm pretty sure I'm the victim of an intense martial arts routine. But I love it and treasure every single secret smile.

It's Getting Real...

Only 5 weeks from today and the birth would be considered 'term'. 7 weeks until the due date. Things are just going by to0 fast...I guess we should get a little more ready!

Prenatal Classes

So last Wednesday night we went to our first of a series of 5 (I think it's 5 anyway) prenatal classes done through the health unit. It was pretty cool, strange in a lot of ways, and there definitely were some characters there that make you wonder why they're allowed to be parents. My favorite part though was looking at the diagrams and pictures about the growth of the baby when it's in. I still can't believe that there's a person inside of Suzie. It just doesn't even make sense.

Baby Stuff

So for some reason, instead of going out and getting some basic necessities to get ready for the baby this weekend, like a car seat and a bassinet, we decided to start drywalling the basement. I know, kind of weird. But in a way starting to finish the basement is helping us get the rest of the house ready for Jelly Bean the way we want it. It was a challenge though, hanging drywall with my 7 1/2 month pregnant wife. But I give her a hero biscuit for effort. But not too much effort. Just the right amount where she's useful but doesn't go into early labour. Ok, now I'm rambling.

Still Jelly Bean?

Hardly. It's funny that when we started this blog we called our child Jelly Bean because that's exactly the size he/she was. Now there's a constant kicking, napping, and whiney thing in there. It definitely has become a baby!

What's in a Name?

As I'm sure any parents/parents-to-be can vouch for, naming your baby is a big deal. I know for Matt and I, it is a decision we have been conversing about since we first knew we were pregnant.

Since we decided not to find out the sex of the baby, we have been faced with the task of composing both a boys name and a girls name. The girls name came easy--we just seemed to agree on it right away, it just felt right. As for a boys name, that was another story. We have been debating on the perfect boys name since day one, with our conversations degrading until it was just Matt and I trying to come up with the funniest combination we could. Some of my favorite included Darth Vadar Burton so that when Matt blesses the baby he could breathe heavily into the mic. We also had Luke Skywalker Burton so Matt could do the whole, "Luke, I am your Father" routine. It was pretty bad.

However, today, it all came together. I think we now have a perfect girls name, AND a perfect boys name. Obviously, we have to see our little Jelly Bean in person before we ultimately decide, but for now, we have it, and feel very excited about our choices--almost makes me want twins because each name is so great (almost).

Oh, what are they? Huh---not telling. You'll just have to wait and see! :)

The Start of a New Year

I can hardly believe 2010 is gone and 2011 is here to stay. I am 32 weeks today, starting my 8th month, and can hardly believe it! We are so excited! My belly continues to grow, and I must admit, it is a little scary. I don't think it can stretch much more, but everyone assures me it will do just that. Sleeping is becoming a bit of an issue, although, after all the traveling we did over Christmas, being back in my own bed has made a HUGE difference.

Matt and I are very excited to begin shopping for baby in earnest. We are looking on the web and through kijiji all the time...in fact, it is becoming my favourite site! This week we are suppose to begin a pre-natal class, but I haven't got any info back yet, so I have to call and confirm tomorrow. I really hope it works out--I was pretty excited to do it.

Christmas was fantastic. We spent it in Alberta this year with my family. It was so good to be home. One of my favourite gifts came from my sister--she got us a little Habs jersey and booties for Jelly Bean. Matt was glowing when we opened it. I have no doubt little Jelly Bean will be subject to much brainwashing early on to ensure their loyalty to the Montreal Canadiens. LOL--it would not do to have me give birth to a LEAFS fan! It always makes me grin to see Matt get excited about baby stuff, so opening this gift was a special moment. In fact, Matt himself got me a Montreal Canadiens onsie and another one that says "iPood" with an "iPod" scroll wheel--to cute. He is going to make such a great daddy. :)