So it's almost March now meaning we have a little over a month until our due date. And for some odd reason Matthew is convinced this little one will be arriving early, but considering Natasha was a whole week overdue, I highly doubt that. But I suppose only time will tell. The baby's definitely growing and I think she has very very little room left to move around, so each kick and move are very strong and almost painful right now. She moves several times a day and has hiccups at least twice daily. Oh, and Matthew also thinks this baby will be much bigger than Natasha who was 7 lbs 11 oz - ask him why he thinks that! I think she'll be around the same measurements as her older sister.

Anyway, this baby's wardrobe is all stocked up. She already has a huge princess-like wardrobe and she's not even born yet. We're still missing a double-stroller and will be probably ordering it very shortly. We chose one from Graco that seems to fit our needs, and Natasha will also be getting a new light-weight stroller to serve her through the spring and summer months. The baby will be using her Perego Venezia once she's born. Sometime early in March, we'll be transferring the playpen/bassinet into our bedroom and turning it from the playpen to a bassinet. We want to do this early so that Natasha gets used to it being there and not be wondering later why her play area is now occupied by some little stranger.

It's funny to think back to Natasha's newborn days. Matthew and I both completely do not remember what it's like dealing with a newborn. What was she doing all day long? I can't remember. It's going to be interesting to be going through it all once again, and I'm sure it will come back to us once it actually happens.

I have been tagged by Matthew with this meme.

First the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name).
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

I actually don't have a middle name and I don't much like the idea of posting my maiden name on this site, so I decided to cheat and use my first name. Meh.

J - June is the month I got married.
U - Uninvited guests is my pet peeve.
L - Lemonade is a favourite drink.
I - I am having a hard time with this meme!
A - April is the month I am due.

Tag: I tag Laura, Aida, and Agata. I don't know who else reads this blog, but if you're lurking and have a blog, just tag yourself!

My OB appointments have now become bi-weekly instead of monthly which only shows how quickly my due-date is approaching. Today's appointment was as uneventful as ever, but they say no-news is good-news, right? My weight gain, blood pressure, and growth are all measuring on track, and the baby is currently positioned head down (hopefully she won't decide to flip last minute!). I got to hear the heartbeat which was pretty fast; my OB never fails in finding the heartbeat within some 2-3 seconds which is pretty impressive if you're asking me.

I have finally booked my next ultrasound for 35-weeks on March 6, 2008. It will determine whether my placenta is still laying low or whether it has hopefully moved up into the correct position. Most times it does, but it's important to confirm it with a scan. Worst case scenario with Placenta Previa is a scheduled c-section, so let's hope my placenta relocated itself and we won't need any of that. Keep your fingers crossed!

On a different note, the baby has been awfully active lately. Hiccups, in particular. I remember how Natasha had hiccups while inside me all the time, and when she was finally born, the hiccup routines were still very similar (every day, twice a day). So her little sister is following in her footsteps it seems. The kicks are becoming a lot stronger as the baby is getting bigger, but they're also not as jumpy as they used to be and I'm assuming it's because the baby's space to move around is becoming smaller and more limited. I go back in 2 weeks!

It happened. Our child has fallen deeply in love with Dora the Explorer!

Not that it's a bad thing in any shape or form, if anything it is kind of hilarious. Natasha now recognizes Dora practically everywhere! Need we only say, "Natasha, where is Dora?", and there she is, running across the apartment to the nearest Dora armchair, toy organizer, or her little pink Dora backpack. She then points at the character, happily screaming "Doda!". Haha.

Today we were giving her an early bath and she was sitting in her tubby happily playing with her squirt bugs. Then, on our living room TV, the Dora cartoon came on with its loud & recognizable theme song. And the next thing we know, our baby jumps up on her feet and literally starts climbing out of the tub. Of course, her legs are slightly too short for that, so she was getting angrier by the minute. Our silly goose was ready to run to the living room naked, dripping water, just so she could catch a glimpse of her favourite TV character. We did our best to distract her and somehow managed to keep her in the tub a bit longer.

She also has a cute Dora dish set - a soup plate, flat dinner plate, and a mug. She eats from those every single day, and she loves how the more food she eats, the more of the Dora picture she can see on the bottom of the plate. The downside is she keeps sticking her finger into the food, going "Doda!".

And of course, her latest favourite activity is climbing into her purple Dora armchair. She couldn't place herself into it unassisted until a few days ago, but now it's her favourite thing to do. She slams her tush into the chair, turns around to point at the Dora picture and once again, goes, "Doooh-da!"