the jellyball family blog

Ok, ok, so you've been asking for belly pics. Here are a few. This is my glorious after-dinner, evening belly. (The morning belly is definitely not as glorious - the belly definitely swells up at night.)

These photos are witness to the fact that the belly "popped" out this past weekend.

Meatball in belly, circa March 9:

Meatball in belly, circa March 21:

(Do you dig the heart patterned pj's?)

Chère Boulette,

This Saturday marks the end of our first trimester! I thought we would celebrate by going shopping for some new pants. You are starting to make yourself known - my belly has been rounding out nicely and I'm at the point where I might start needing a new wardrobe soon. All of a sudden my shirts are too short and my pants are too small, so it's time that we do a little mommy-baby quality time at the mall.

You have grown to 3 inches long from crown to rump - roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp. You are now a fully formed baby - you swallow, you pee, you even have unique fingerprints now. (Don't be partaking in any illegal activities in the womb, you hear?)

We are a third of the way through this wonderful journey - I can hardly wait for your arrival.

Love,
Mom

P.S. Your dad e-mailed a friend and fellow Canadian in California to tell him that we were having an NHL-lockout baby. The friend hoped that your birth would bring with it some good luck and the return of the hockey season.

There's our little meatball.

We're still debating over what's the head and what's the butt. You're welcome to take a stab at it!

The ultrasound was pretty amazing. We got to see the baby's head, a little waving hand, and a little tiny beating heart - completely mesmerizing. Just seeing our little meatball and seeing him/her move was just ... beyond words.

And, on a lighter note, asking a pregnant woman to drink 1L of water in half an hour, then not pee for over an hour -- that is NOT funny. At all. By the time I got to the clinic, I was walking at a snail's pace, sweating, shaking, and would have paid my life's savings in exchange for a pee.

Poor Luc was attempting to talk to me to distract me, and at one point even tried to touch me, at which point he received a glaring dirty look and a hissing "DON'T TOUCH ME."

My dear sweet, lime-sized meatball:

Sorry I'm a little late with my usual weekly report on how big you've grown. Last week was sooo busy!

So, what have you been up to lately, other than growing to 2 inches and half an ounce? Apparently your intestines have been growing rapidly, and your eyes and ears have been moving to their almost final position. You're peeing now, too.

We had an exciting week last week, going to see the doctor. You've been showing off your new reflexes - sucking your thumb, squirming when someone prods at my abdomen. You'd better hang onto your umbilical cord, because we'll be doing the first ultrasound this week and you're not gonna get away from us this time!

Last week, we bought you a really big gift. We bought you a house! (Never mind that Daddy claims it was a gift for ME...) We will be busy this summer getting it ready for your arrival. I hope you like it - I think you will really enjoy eating, sleeping, and pooping in that place.

You should also know that I've been getting some nice compliments from friends on my belly. Apparently people think you and I are looking mighty fine. I can't wait to be past the phase where I look chunky and more into the phase where I look radiantly protruding.

Big hugs,
Mom

Today was our first big doctor's appointment, the one I've been looking forward to for SO long!

The doctor tried to listen for a heartbeat, but looks like Meatball was playing hide and go seek. We heard a couple of big "ploufs", which were movements, and the doctor said she heard brief bits of the heartbeat, though they were faint because of the baby being so far away. We have another appointment in 2 weeks to fill out some paperwork, so she'll give it another try then.

What a cheeky monkey, that meatball.

We got a referral to an OBGYN and decided to have the baby at the Ottawa General Hospital. One of the big deciding factors was that the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario is right next door in the adjacent building, so should there be any complications, CHEO dispatches a team to run across the breezeway into the hospital.

In the next few weeks, we'll be doing the first ultrasound and some prenatal screening... so LOTS of good stuff to come.

Dear Meatball,

If I could do the voice of that deep-voiced Las Vegas boxing announcer, I'd say "Weighing in at a quarter of an ounce... At one and a half inches tall... Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario... please welcome... MEATBALL!!!"

You may be only the size of a fig (mmmm, Mommy loves fresh figs), but you are now fully formed. Your skin is still transparent, your bones are starting to harden, and little tiny toothbuds are forming under your gums. Pretty soon you'll be able to form fists with your hands, and you've already been busy kicking and stretching, though it will be another month or so before I'll feel anything more than just water ballet.

You may be experiencing the hiccups - don't worry, that's just your diaphragm developing and it's all the gulping you've been doing. Your grandfather has a great trick for getting rid of baby hiccups, so we will undoubtedly be using his wise tricks when the time comes.

Next week is going to be SO exciting - we're going to see the doctor! She's a nice lady, I think you'll like her a lot, even though the first handful of times you'll see her in real life, she'll be pricking you and making you cry a lot. Watch out for the doctor's receptionist though, she's a mean old bit... ummm, lady.

It's been a pretty crazy week and while I've normally been pretty good about controlling my stress level, it's been a bit of an exceptional week. Once you can start kicking me, I fully expect you to give me a big ol' whack when you think I'm getting too stressed out. Just remember, though, that the only reason we get stressed these days is because we want you to have the best life possible. Your grandfather said to me today that I have to take care of my meatball, cause it's his meatball too. Wise words from a very wise man.

We never thought we could fall in love with something we'd never met, or something the size of a fig... but as each week goes by, we find ourselves loving you more and more. We are going to be brimming with so much love to give you by the time you make your arrival in September.

Till then,

Mom & Papa

Dear Meatball,

Congratulations! You are no longer an embryo! Well done, my little walnut. That's right - a walnut! Can you believe you're an inch long?

This is the beginning of your fetal period, a time when your tissues and organs are rapidly growing and maturing. You've got all the vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs are now in place and starting to function. Your spinal cord is developing now, and you're covered with peach fuzz.

Say goodbye to webbed fingers and toes - they're now distinct little fingers and piggies, complete with nails. Apparently you're already kicking your little legs, though I won't feel anything for some time.

Apparently Mommy's uterus has doubled in size since before I was pregnant - it's now the size of a grapefruit. This makes me feel a little better, since I've been wondering how it is a little walnut such as yourself is making a much bigger bulge in my tummy.

I'm sensing all kinds of changes in the muscles in my back and abdomen, as my body has been adapting to you, my new tenant! I have aches and pains that have gone away since the pregnancy, but they have been replaced with different ones. You've still been the most well-behaved meatball I could wish for.

Speaking of meatballs - it's hard to believe you are almost the size of one! Maybe not one of those big italian-sized ones you find in spaghetti. Maybe the kind you find in a wonton. Yesterday, I was reading some recipes and came across an article about meatballs - all kinds of meatballs! Italian ones, asian ones, swedish ones. I had to laugh, because I was thinking of you the whole time. You are what your Dad calls a "wasian" meatball (white + asian = wasian).

We are only two weeks away - to the day - to our first big checkup. We'll be listening for your heartbeat, getting referred to an obstetrician, and deciding where you will be born, amongst other things! I have to say that I am so excited and anxious, and am counting down the days.

Until then, keep boogeying away in my belly.

Love,
Mom & Papa

Dear Meatball,

I can hardly believe that you're now the size of a grape - almost an inch long and you weigh just a fraction of an ounce. Now that you've grown all your basic body parts and organs, you're poised to pack on the pounds.

Your eyelids - now that you have them - are fused shut and you won't be opening them for another 17 weeks. (Don't worry, nothing to see in there anyway.) You have earlobes, an upper lip, little nostrils! All your joints are working now, so you can start moving your arms and legs. I can't wait to feel a kick. (This is the only time you can get away with kicking me - don't get used to it.)

Unlike most expectant mothers, I haven't had any morning sickness or aversions to food, so you and I are probably growing at a nice rate. I've been starting to show off my little bump of a belly - your dad loves to laugh at how my tummy sticks out after dinner. He told me that I've been a real nice pregnant lady so far - thankfully it seems as though I've been handing the hormonal roller coaster fairly well.

The fatigue has been hitting me a little harder this week, but I'm happy to join you in a group nap whenever I can. Thank goodness for weekends! I'd surely nap under my desk in the afternoons if I thought I could sleep under there.

Little Meatball, I have been happier these past few weeks than I have ever been in my life. This is certainly the start of a beautiful time in our lives. I feel so lucky to have you!

Keep working hard - I'll do the same.

Love,
Mom

This morning I called doctor's office to schedule the infamous 12-week checkup that I've been so anticipating. I know from my reading that this is usually the point at which we'll be listening for the baby's heartbeat and doing some prenatal screening. I knew an ultrasound was also in the plans, I just assumed that's when we'd hear the heartbeat, too.

So when the cranky old receptionist told me that she wasn't scheduling my ultrasound - my heart totally fell. Plus, did I mention the receptionist is really cranky and sometimes downright mean? Why, oh WHY was she doing this to me?!

Maybe it was the receptionist, and maybe it was just my raging hormones but before I knew it, I was bawling my eyes out. After I calmed down, I figured I would just ask to talk to the doctor and get the scoop as to whether or not I was getting my damned ultrasound.

Turns out I *am* getting my ultrasound, just not at 12 weeks - she recommends doing it a few weeks later, when the baby has further developed. We are, however, going to get to hear the baby's heartbeat at our next appointment, which is almost one month away to the day.

I can't wait.

In the meantime, pass the tissues!

Dear Meatball,

If I were to line you up on a little baby growth chart, you would measure up to 5/8 of an inch long - apparently the size of a kidney bean! (I thought for sure a raspberry would be larger than a kidney bean, but I guess I should not be comparing you to the beefy raspberries we see in the summer! I suppose you are more of a weenie winter raspberry.)

You are quickly developing all kinds of wonderful bodily features like eyelids, knee joints, and wrists. Your arms and legs are getting longer, too! Your lungs are slowly developing along with the primitive neural pathways in your brain.

Your itty bitty private parts are also developing, though it's still too early to tell if you are a girl or boy meatball.

Did you enjoy hanging out with your dad listening to the Superbowl last weekend? He might have uttered a few bad words since the team he was cheering for lost, but you don't want to be repeating those words - at least, not in front of us! I'm not sure if you're going to be a football fan, but your dad was making sure you were getting adequate training on the subject by explaining all the different plays and strategies. I secretly imagined that you were lulled to sleep as though you were listening to a bedtime story, but I bet you were returning Daddy's high-fives when the Philadelphia Eagles had some good plays.

I have been a little more finnicky with my food this week - I've been feeling hungry but have very little appetite, so eating has been something of a challenge. Thankfully, your grandmother took pity on me and promptly whipped up large batches of food that she knows I like and sent me home with several large containers of food last night. Hopefully I am able to be even half the mother that she was to me, because she is my idol - and not just because she cooked up some delicious fried shrimp and sweet potato fries for dinner. Did that ever hit the grease spot I've been harboring.

Yesterday was the start of the Lunar New Year. This year - your year! - is going to be the Year of the Rooster. I read your horoscope yesterday, but I'm a little sceptical that you and all the other babies born this year will be of the same disposition. I prefer to think that you will be unique in your own special way and so indescribably cool that no horoscope would do you justice.

Happy New Year, my roosterific meatball.

Love,
Mom & Papa