the jellyball family blog

Everyone's favourite question with both my pregnancies was whether or not I had food cravings. Whenever I think of food cravings, I always think about the time we saw a man ordering food at a take-out Lebanese place, who, instead of asking if he could have some garlic potatoes, insisted that he "needed" garlic potatoes. He looked over at Luc and I, noticing my very pregnant Caleb belly, and said "My pregnant wife told me not to come home without garlic potatoes."

With Caleb, my only major craving was milk. I'd given up milk years ago having developed lactose intolerance, but while looking to eat healthy during my pregnancy, I started buying lactose free milk and rediscovered my love of milk. We'd have to make "emergency" trips to the grocery store when we ran out of milk, because there would be hell to pay if there weren't a drop of milk in the house when the craving hit.

Caleb is now a complete milk freak - he loves the stuff and drinks a ton of it.

If my current cravings will be dictating Jellybean's favourite foods, it would appear that he will be a complete chocolate lover. I've been so interested in chocolate - it's not even funny. I don't eat lots of it - just a little bit almost every day. It started with brownies, then Hallowe'en hit and we had all those bite-sized chocolate bars lying around... and now we've hit Christmas season and I found myself buying a bag of Christmas-themed Hershey's Eggies just to have chocolate on hand for those mid-afternoon cravings. A couple of Eggies usually do the trick.

I went to the doctor today and I've only put on about six pounds since I got pregnant. Luc keeps telling me that he likes me "rounder", and upon hearing that I'd only put on the six pounds, he said "We'd better fatten you up some more, woman."

I guess I'll be baking a half-batch of brownies tonight. (That should tide me over for, oh, a few days.)

Dear Jellybean,

Apparently you are now about 11 inches long and just over a pound! I'm not sure what fruit or vegetable that would liken you to, but you have definitely outgrown any regular-sized jellybean at this point.

You feel as though you are continuing to grow well. You, like your brother, like to indulge in a little baby aerobics in the evenings once I have settled down to relax for the night, or once I'm in bed. I'm sure you are also doing lots of moving around during the day, but I'm too busy running around after your big brother Caleb to notice!

Although I am busier during this pregnancy - so much so that I have not dwelled on every gurgle, kick, or pregnancy-related symptom the way I did with Caleb - it doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about you. In fact, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what you will look like, what your personality will be like, and how you will be special in your own little way.

I have spent countless hours wondering how I will manage to give you all the love and attention you deserve, all while giving your brother the same, and I've come to the conclusion that instead of splitting my love between the two of you - the love I will have and give you to will be "new" love. Love that is inspired by you and you alone. A love that will grow just as you do.

When your brother was born, it was like a whole new part of my heart opened up. It's silly to think that my capacity to love is limited to what I'm able to feel right now! So I know that when you arrive, in about four months, that there will be no shortage of love to go around.

With love,
Mama

As promised, here are the 3D ultrasound pictures of Jellybean. The technician warned us that, at just 12 ounces with zero baby fat, we would not be seeing a plump, juicy cheeked, cutesy baby - but likened it to looking more like a baby alien.

Still - it was so amazing to see facial features (we think he has my nose!) and body parts in 3D!

A couple more 3D shots here. Be sure to read the notes and descriptions if you're having trouble figuring out what's what, though generally speaking, these 3D ones are a little easier to read then, say, an ultrasound of one's crotch. ;-)

Dear Jellybean,

Today we had the most amazing experience in your pregnancy so far - we got to see your little hands, your little feet, your mouth, your nose, and all kinds of other teeny tiny parts. You were smiling, had your mouth open, and were moving around like a little fish. It's too early to tell what you will look like just yet, but at just 12 ounces - you are already a real little baby with all the baby parts.

We were so happy to see that you are developing well and that you are healthy. We saw your little heart beating, and while right now it's so very tiny, I know that you, like your brother, will likely have a big, big heart.

You have started a nightly routine of baby aerobics around the time when I am settling down for my evening quiet time, so it's been fun to relax for the night after my day is done, and to feel you kicking around (literally)! Even your Papa has been able to feel you moving around and saying hello from the womb, which he totally loves.

Your big brother Caleb seems to be pretty oblivious to the fact that you'll be coming around in a handful of months, but hopefully pretty soon he'll start to understand a little bit of what's happening. I know he'll be a good big brother to you, because he's a pretty special guy - just like you!

Please keep growing and continuing to develop into a beautiful little baby. We are dreaming about your arrival and can hardly wait to meet you.

Love,
Mama and Papa

Any guesses as to which body part that might be, right there in the centre of the ultrasound? :-)

I'll give you a hint. This is a photo taken square between the legs, as though you were lying at baby's feet looking up at the bum.

More ultrasound pics (including some neat 3-D ones!) as soon as we find the cable for the scanner.

We went to see our obstetrician this morning at the hospital obstetrics clinic - it was our first visit there for Jellybean's pregnancy! We saw the same doctor as with Caleb, even getting a nurse that we recognized. Our math seems to be a little off with the weeks, so according to the doctor, today we are 20 weeks and 2 days into the pregnancy. More than halfway there! Jellybean's due date is March 6th, 2007.

Our doctor was happy to meet Caleb and happily congratulated us on Jellybean, calling us "good repeat customers" and telling us that we'd get a discount on the third. She adored Caleb and told us that we made nice-looking babies and should keep on making them!

Everything seems in order with Jellybean - we heard the heartbeat for the first time! Luc was completely excited and freaked out (in a good way). For me, the reality of it had hit me much sooner, especially I've been feeling some kicks and movement from the baby already. But for Luc, today it really hit home that we will have another precious little soul with us in less than 20 weeks.

We are going for an ultrasound on Tuesday morning next week! Assuming Jellybean cooperates, we hope to find out if we have a blue or pink Jellybean.

You may have noticed that the site banner has changed - if you don't, you may want to do a little shift-refreshing. So yeah. What was previously a blog dedicated to Caleb is now a blog dedicated to the whole family.

We wrestled with the idea of having a separate blog for Jellybean's pregnancy, then having two blogs to maintain, and knowing that eventually it would probably be too much to handle and we'd merge the two anyway, so we thought we'd just switch to a family blog instead. So much for treating your kids equally! Our poor second born is getting a totally bum deal but our excuse is that we'll be focusing our efforts on trying to get just as many thousands of pictures of Jellybean as we have of Caleb. So there.

Jellybean, if you are reading this when you are all grown up, just because you didn't get your own blog doesn't mean we love you any less than your big brother. It just means your parents got lazier.

(Ah, parenting.)

We've already updated the belly pic page (holy belly!) and the pregnancy timeline page to include Jellybean's info, and I'll be posting some backdated entries I've been saving in the next little while and updated the domain for this site, so stay tuned.

Dear Jellybean,

Well, you are no longer the size of a jellybean - apparently you are more the size of a lemon. A lemon! Hard to believe. My belly looks about the size of a cantaloupe. Looks like your big brother Caleb really broke your Mama in.

I'm starting to feel like my energy's come back lately, which is really great. I no longer crave the naps that your brother takes the way I used to.

I can hardly wait to meet you. March seems too far away.

Love,
Mama

Dear Jellybean,

You are now the size of a jumbo shrimp - about 3 inches crown to rump. You are growing and developing more and more every day. Keep up the good work!

We received some results from the prenatal tests we did recently. Apparently my thyroid gland is a little hyperative - nothing to worry about, quite common in pregnant women, and nothing that requires treatment. The doctor will follow up with me after you are born to make sure my thyroid goes back to normal.

Despite being told not to worry, your father and I cannot help but do so. It has become so much a part of our parental instincts now. I am sure we will be worrying about you from the time you are the size of a jumbo shrimp to when you are eating jumbo shrimp, and well beyond.

For now, we will stay positive and thankful that we are having such a good pregnancy so far and that I'm feeling so great these days.

Thanks for being so good to your mother!

Lots of love,
Mama & Papa

Caleb has been called many things in this household - THE baby, meatball, Master of the House, etc. but he is soon going to be adding a new title to his resume - big brother.

We are expecting another addition to the family in March - right around my birthday. The jury's already split on whether it's a girl or a boy, but it's still too early to tell. We'll hope for another flasher at the next ultrasound!

I guess that means there is soon going to be a new boss in town. They'll have to start a mafia gang where they'll wear leather footed pyjamas and share the responsibility of showing those of us above 5 feet tall who is boss.

And in the spirit of treating both babies equally, we're working on getting a blog up for the new baby, which we have nicknamed Jellybean. (Other nickname finalists, taking after Caleb's nickname of Meatball, were Matzo Ball and Won Ton, but they just didn't have the same ring to it.)

We're really happy about our growing family!