34 Weeks

Time is really going fast now.  Seems like I'm almost done...but then I realize that so much has to happen between now and October 9th that it's still a ways away.  Maybe I'm in denial?  Still have a name to choose, clothes to wash, Matthew to potty train (fingers crossed!!).

This pregnancy has really begun to be a fair bit different than with Matthew and Kayla's.  Baby Struik is one strong baby.  The other night I was getting really frustrated because Baby Struik kept stretching out in me, and holding the stretch.  It was getting so sore I felt like punching that little baby.  (Don't worry, I didn't).  With Matthew and Kayla's pregnancy I never experienced any of the massive baby moves I guess because they were squishing each other and just didn't have the space.

I've gained 38 pounds so far which freaks me out.  My goal was to have my weight gain less than the number of weeks pregnant I was...which I obviously failed to do.  People are shocked when I tell them, so I don't really know where all the weight is.  I've definitely noticed my butt/thighs are larger...but other than that, I don't really feel like I notice the weight anywhere else.

I've really started noticing my skin pulling at my sides.  Baby Struik is now growing faster than my skin can prepare for, and so I'm sure stretch marks are in my near future.  I've avoided them thus far, but with Matthew and Kayla I didn't start getting them until a few weeks before they were born so this is right on track with that too.

Matthew continues to LOVE Baby Struik.  He is always hugging my belly or putting his hand on it and looking at me with such a hopeful expression, hoping that Baby Struik isn't "aseep" (asleep) and will kick him.  I would say it happens a few times every day.  He has also become obsessed with where Baby Struik will sit in our car.  He doesn't like it if I put things on the empty seat that will be the baby's because then Baby Struik will have no where to sit.  Really cute.

Kayla and I will have discussions on what Baby Struik will be like - what baby will eat, what baby will play with, where baby will sleep, etc.  She doesn't have the same emotional connection to it that Matthew does though.

Anyways, time for bed!  And Laura - here are some pictures for you!!!

"In My Space"

You know Kayla is definitely my daughter when you hear her tell Jon (on numerous occasions) as he goes to hug her that he's "in her space".  She definitely listens to what we say!

32.5 Weeks

Such a random time in pregnancy to do an entry, but I feel if I don't record a couple of these things I'm going to forget to do it...and Matthew and Kayla are still sleeping (yes, still sleeping at 8:26am!) so I was taking advantage of that and doing my 'internet-stuff' in bed.

Baby Struik has started to have the hiccups this week, right on schedule.  I know s/he is still head down because I can feel his/her head bouncing in my pelvis.  S/he is lying in the exact same position that Kayla was (to my knowledge)...head down, curling around my right side, feet up.  When I have a braxton hicks contraction (which are fairly frequent), you can see that there is no baby on the left side of my tummy.  At least when it's not contracted it looks round-ish (except for my belly button area, that area is lower than the rest of my tummy for who knows why).

Matthew and Kayla both felt Baby Struik kick yesterday afternoon, and understood what they were feeling.  They love to put their hands on my tummy if I tell them that Baby Struik is kicking...and this time it all made sense to them.  Matthew's face lit up and he had the biggest smile on...so cute.

I've been asked if carrying a singleton is different than carrying twins...and up until now, it hasn't been.  However, at this point in my pregnancy with Matthew and Kayla the movement changed and became more 'rolls' than 'kicks'.  With Baby Struik, s/he just goes crazy sometimes.  Sometimes it's almost hurting me because s/he is kicking/stretching/punching/rolling around all at once.  It's seriously nuts.  Jon laughs at me because I'm always telling him to watch my tummy, and it looks wild.  Last night Jon asked me how I could even sleep with all that movement going on.  It will be interesting to see if the movement continues like this, or at what point s/he will run out of room.

7.5 weeks left.  Crazy.  So much has to happen in the next 7.5 weeks...but I'm sure it's just going to continue to fly by.  Jon and I better agree on a name soon...he's completely axed down my favourite name, saying "over my dead body".  But it's perfect!!!!  Sigh.

Mega Bloks

Matthew and Kayla absolutely LOVE Mega Bloks right now - that's all they play with, day in and day out!  It's great!  All I have to do is ask them to build me a tower and they are happy for 30 minutes.

The Struggle with Nap Time

Oh my gosh, Matthew is so frustrating...and I pick on Matthew because he is the instigator to the nightmare which I call nap time.

When Matthew and Kayla are at my parents' house while I work, they go upstairs for a nap and are asleep instantly.  No lies.  I've witnessed it myself.  They go to their separate rooms, are lifted into their play pens, lay down, and are instantly asleep.

When they have to nap at home, well, that's a completely different story.

They eagerly go upstairs, so that's the same...but they go to the same room, and climb into their beds, which are not cages.  Within seconds of me leaving the room they are jumping from one bed to the next, doing somersaults over the end rails, and playing up a storm.  So frustrating.  So frustrating that I want to separate them into separate rooms permanently, but I know that once they are separated, the chance of them ever sharing a room again is practically zero.

As I just typed that Matthew, who was jumping and talking up a storm while Kayla slept on her bed, woke Kayla up.  Sigh.  So I've taken Kayla out of her room and 'rewarded' her for sleeping by bringing her to my room with me (where I was monitoring their naptime, not napping myself!), and left a crying Matthew in his room because he hasn't slept yet so he can't come out.  And I've brought him back to his room over 100 times.  Sigh.  And now I've closed the door to his room so he can't get out.  Is that bad?  I'm at a loss for what to do with this child.  He doesn't listen, unless he wants to, and you can threaten/punish him all you want and he could care less.  At least with Kayla, if you threaten or punish her her feelings are hurt and she corrects her ways.  Matthew doesn't care.  And I know he's not ready to give up his nap yet because on the days that he doesn't nap, he falls asleep during dinner.

We've got two months (the Lord willing) to figure out this nap time issue...