40 Weeks

Now would be a perfect time for Baby Struik to make an appearance...I don't think my house has ever been tidier.  That's what happens when my Mom picks up Matthew and Kayla to take them to Muffin Morning at the church and then offers to keep them for lunch and their naps and I no longer have a job I have to go to.  I called it "Project Clean Up Sh*t Around the House".  Ha!  It's all the little piles of things to be sorted and the random jobs on my to-do list that never get done that I felt obligated to get done to productively pass time.  Every time I sat down to check my e-mail I had guilty feeling come over me that my Mom was watching the kids and I was slacking.  Ha!  No more random little jobs need to be done around here now!  My last major move-in project that would ideally still get done before Baby Struik arrives is to clean all of our blinds.  That was my intention for today...but I conveniently found all the little side project jobs to do first.  

And don't say that I'm nesting - because I'm not.  I always try to be productive...I just haven't had many opportunities to.  And I'm only cleaning the house because it was not very clean when we moved in...so what better time to clean then when you know your life is about to get a whole lot busier, in a different sort of busy way.

It's also easy to clean when Matthew and Kayla are around because they love to help.  They were actually getting upset with me when I forgot to let them vacuum.  And then they used a Swiffer to wash my floors...and my walls...and "the lights because they're dirty".  I think they know how to clean better than me because they watch my Mom clean all the time.  How sad is it that my two year olds think to wash the walls even before I do?  Sigh.  

Anyways, I forgot to have Jon take a picture tonight...conveniently.  I'm in grubby clothes and wearing glasses so I look terrible.  He'll have to take it tomorrow :).  

Only gained one pound this week...woot woot...up to 46 pounds now.  Belly circumference is now 44".

If I don't have to go into the office tomorrow for a quick meeting then the plan is to take Matthew and Kayla swimming at the rec centre, followed by lunch and then my doctor's appointment.  Baby Struik can wait one more day so that I at least can take Matthew and Kayla swimming one last time...otherwise it might be a while before they get an opportunity to go again.  My Mom would say "screw swimming - come on baby!" (in a less vulgar way).  I think she's more impatient than I am.  Probably because she doesn't have to deliver this baby.

The only thing I'm nervous about is the fact that after Matthew and Kayla were born I vowed to never give birth again...and here I am.  I've obviously completely forgotten how horrible it is.  Oh well, Baby Struik will all be worth it!  

Dropped?

**This is the second post today**

I think my little jog through Superstore's parking lot yesterday has encouraged Baby Struik to drop.  Maybe?  I've never experienced it before, so I really have no idea.  All I know is that I'm a little more uncomfortable in my pelvic region, and all of a sudden Baby Struik has become much more active again, which I'm assuming would be because s/he has more room now to kick.  Who knows!

Best Buds

Matthew and Kayla are best friends 99.9% of the time.  The other 0.1% is when they let a toy get in between them.  It doesn't happen too often, considering they are ALWAYS playing together or right next to each other.

On Saturday, Jon's sister Leanne asked if they had ever climbed into each other's bed to sleep together, to which I replied, "No."  What do you think they did tonight, for the very first time?  Fell asleep together in Kayla's bed.  I had heard commotion upstairs shortly after they were put to bed and found Matthew beside Kayla.  I told them that if they wanted to sleep in the same bed then three things needed to happen: 1) Matthew needed his own pillow, 2) They had to put some of their stuffed animals away because there wasn't enough room for everything, and 3) They were not allowed to talk anymore.  They struggled for a few minutes with my last demand/request, but are now sleeping peacefully side-by-side.  I'm hoping they don't disturb each other during the night or I may regret allowing them to share a bed in the first place!

"Grandma Has This"

**There's another post below this one too**

Matthew and Kayla's latest 'thing' is to tell me what Grandma has.  For example, I was repairing one of their books the other day and Matthew tells me that "Grandma has tape, too."  I was putting a bagel in the toaster and Kayla tells me that "Grandma has one, too."  They're colouring at the counter while I'm making dinner and Kayla tells me that "Grandma has crayons, too."  Wow.  Talk about keeping up with the Jones'!  Grandma is just one step ahead of me, in their eyes.

I Forgot I was Pregnant...

...until I took a short little jog through Superstore's parking lot.

Other than not really sleeping that great at night, I've been feeling great.  We had a bit of a rushed morning this morning trying to get out of the house by 8:45am so that we could go to StrongStart.  Matthew and Kayla slept until 8:10am this morning because they are behind on sleep, and so we rushed to make it to Langley Meadows Elementary School for StrongStart, only to find out that StrongStart has been cancelled for another week.  Sigh.  The original plan was to do some errands after StrongStart, so we just headed straight to SuperStore instead.  I was a few paces behind my Mom and Matthew and Kayla in the parking lot, so I decided to jog to catch up.  BIG MISTAKE.  After that, the pain/pressure on my cervix (?) was actually quite uncomfortable.  I persevered through errands, and thank goodness Matthew and Kayla were crashing quickly during lunch so I didn't feel bad putting them down for their naps 45 minutes earlier than usual (I guess that's what a late night followed by a day with no nap will do to them!).  I took advantage of them being down and laid on the couch, as per the instructions I found from googling it.  I felt significantly better when Matthew and Kayla awoke at 2:30pm.  Not 100%, but at least at 80% and able to carry on with the day.  I guess the pressure of Baby Struik on me during my 10 second jog was enough to remind me that I have a fully-cooked baby inside (and one that is in no rush to make an appearance).  Here's hoping I have a better sleep tonight so I can recuperate fully - I have things to do this week still!  :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Yesterday morning Matthew and Kayla climbed into our bed when they woke up.  They actually willingly went to Jon's side and so they've just started noticing that Jon doesn't wear a shirt to bed (which Kayla is actually a little concerned about).  Anyways, Matthew was touching Jon's nipple and so Jon said, "That's Daddy's nipple."  Kayla opened her sleeper up and said, "I have nipples.  Mine are tiny though".

Last night I was changing Matthew's diaper, getting him ready for bed and he said, "I have penis."  

"Yes, Matthew, you have a penis" I replied.  

"Kayla nope have penis."

"You're right, Kayla doesn't have a penis."

"Only boys."

"Yes, only boys, Matthew."

39 Weeks (+ 1 Day)

You know, that + 1 day could be important!

Anyways, no change here!  Baby is still comfortably inside, and giving me the impression that s/he will stay that way for a while still.  I feel great.  Like, one million dollars great.  I definitely don't mind being pregnant at all at this point.

I still have one day of work left, tomorrow, and then I'm done.  I still have an excess amount of banked hours left, so I'll continue to get paid until Baby Struik makes an appearance, and then my maternity leave will start.  It's a little bit weird thinking that this could potentially be my very last day of work at BackCheck, forever.  I love that company (for the most part!)!

I had another doctor's appointment today, which was just as uneventful as all of my others.  I'm measuring 40 weeks, blood pressure is still good, and Baby Struik's heart rate was around 150bpm.  I have another appointment scheduled for next Thursday, and then I'll have a fetal monitoring/non-stress test and ultrasound the week after that if I haven't delivered.  If everything is fine at that point, then the hospital will allow me to go 10 days overdue before they call me to let me know what the next step is.  I would really like to experience a non-induced delivery, so fingers crossed!  I've now gained 45 pounds.  

Oh!  Just thought of two things I don't think I've ever commented on before!  The most common questions I get asked are:
1.  Are you excited?  My answer?  Yes and no.  I've always strongly disliked change; I like things to be predictable and comfortable and familiar.  This is going to be another huge change for us.  It will change everything about our lives.  Not that I'm complaining, don't get me wrong!  We are very thankful for how lucky we've been with having this frozen embryo transfer work...but change is still hard/scary for me.  Yes, I'm excited/curious to see what Baby Struik looks like.  Will s/he look more like Matthew or Kayla?  Or a combination of both?  Or neither?  Only time will tell!
2.  Do you have a name picked yet?  It must be easy only have time choose one!  My answer:  No and no.  I am SUCH a perfectionist!  And Jon is too, actually, believe it or not!  We know the middle name...if Baby Struik is a boy s/he will have my Dad's name, and if it's a girl s/he will have Jon's Mom's name.  That's what we did with Matthew and Kayla (although, reversed...hence Matthew John, after Jon's Dad, and Kayla Rose, after my Mom), and always what we've said we would do for our third child.  It's the first name that's the killer.  Matthew's name is just perfect.  His name was picked because we liked the name, we liked how it could shorten (nicely) when he's older, and the meaning is great (Gift of God).  Kayla's name was picked just because we liked the name, and it worked with Matthew.  This time, I want a name that has a great meaning AND if it shortens, shortens nicely AND sounds good with Struik AND sounds good with the middle name AND sounds good with Matthew and Kayla.  Jon has told me from day one that my front-runner of a name will definitely NOT be the name chosen because he does not like it at all.  I have tried everything possible to convince/bribe/blackmail him to like it...but he just won't go for it.  It's too bad because it's actually the only name that fits all of the above criteria.  All others fall short.  I think we have it narrowed down to two (second-best) names...and I believe I get to choose which of those two I want.  It's just such a big decision that I can't make up my mind.  Hopefully I have time still.  Or maybe that's a bad thing?  Honestly though, I don't think I'll be able to decide until s/he has been born.

And for a quick update on Matthew and Kayla, before I forget to record these:
Matthew:  
- Mentions at least ten times a day how he will carry/hold my baby.  He's still very concerned about where Baby Struik will sit in the car.
- Has gone through such a huge growth spurt.  Biggest growth spurt I've ever experienced with him.  He's definitely into all 24month/2T clothes now.  I feel like every time I put a pair of pants on him they're too short!
- Has just started wanting to choose his own clothes.  Because Kayla start choosing her own clothes first, so her clothes are in the bottom two drawers of their high-boy dresser.  Matthew's clothes are in the second and third drawers (top drawer is a shared sock/underwear drawer)...which is a pain if he wants to choose his own because I have to lift him up to see them.  Oh well, guess I just have to suck it up to be fair to him!

Kayla:  
- Has started calling me "Mommy" when we're at home.  If we're not home, it's still "Mom".  It's super cute...but definitely takes getting used to!  "Mommy, look at this!"  "Mommy, come here!"  She still has no interest in Baby Struik.
- Is 100% in 3T clothes.  We spent a good few hours this week going through all of the clothes in her dresser to see what fit, and then through all of the clothes in her 'next size' box and trying them on too.  Luckily, she LOVES trying on clothes.  She's become very stubborn in wanting to always choose what she's going to wear that day.  I usually try to give her some guidelines (ex. You have to choose a pair of pants and a long-sleeve shirt), but she is VERY good at knowing what matches.