Third Trimester Ulatrasound

Baby # 1 showing off her baby doll

While not routine in North America, nor in all Canadian provinces, third trimester ultrasounds are standard in our province. I had my 32-34 week ultrasound this last Thursday. The general idea behind a third trimester ultrasound is to ensure that the baby is growing normally. Measurements of head and abdominal circumference are taken. The bladder, stomach and kidneys are evaluated. The depth of the amniotic fluid around the fetus is also measured. The position of the placenta is determined, especially if it was found to be low-lying in a previous ultrasound. The baby's position, while easy to determine on this ultrasound is not that important, as the baby tends to change position regularly; and is only important after about 37 weeks (position can be evaluated by simply palpating the uterus from the outside). And finally, any anomalies discovered during the 20 week ultrasound are re-evaluated.

With Baby #1, I remember the third trimester ultrasound quite well. Mostly because I had asked my husband to come along. I thought he would enjoy seeing our future baby via ultrasound. While I think he enjoyed the experience, I remember thinking in hindsight that it would have been more interesting for him to have viewed an earlier ultrasound. Mostly because everything is so big at this stage, and I don't think he got much out of viewing close-ups of the brain, kidneys and bladder. At an earlier ultrasound, however, the entire baby could be viewed on the same image.

With Baby # 2, I went solo. Mostly because someone had to watch Baby # 1. While I wasn't as excited as the first time around, I certainly enjoyed viewing the images. She was quite active, regularly kicking against the ultrasound probe. Enough to actually elicit an "oh my goodness" from the ultrasound technician. All the measurements were normal, and it was a relief to discover that she was growing well. She was hiding her face with her tiny hands for the most part, but I did catch a few glimpses of her sweet face:

Sneak peak at Baby # 2's face

Speech Therapy

Getting ready for bedtime with Papa and Teddy

At her 18 month appointment with the paediatrician, I voiced my concerns vis-a-vis our daughter's lack of speech. Although she was babbling quite a bit, her only consistent word was "Mama". The paediatrician, however, was unconcerned. She did ask that we make her two-year appointment a little early as to avoid bringing two babies at once (given that Baby # 2 is expected around Baby #1's 2nd birthday).

Her 2-year appointment with the paediatrician is approaching in a little over a month, and I found myself worried about Baby # 1's speech (or lack thereof). I had been replaying imaginary conversations in my head. "She still only says "Mama"?  Why didn't you tell me earlier? You will have to meet with the speech therapist as soon as possible!" would say the paediatrician. She would go on to delineate what was normal and average for a 2-year old: Speaks about 50 words but understands even more; links two words together; uses simple adjectives such as "big" and "happy"; speaks clearly enough for parents to understand some of the words. My responses would vary from defensiveness, explaining that the Brat's father also spoke late, but speaks perfectly well now...to fear of a pervasive developmental disorder.

Until last week, that is. At long last, our baby has added to her vocabulary. These are a few of the words that we believe she now speaks:

Baby
Maybe (half-way between Mama and Baby?)
Car
Girl
Truck
Circle or Purple (we are not to sure)
No (sometimes pronounced as Na)

Oddly enough she calls her papa "Ma" (half of Mama?).

But at least there has been progress. This happened rather suddenly about two Sundays ago, and she has been adding to her list almost daily. She still has quite a bit of catching up to do compared to the average 2-year old, but perhaps speech therapy can be avoided after all!

Sharing (or the lack thereof)

Dressing Up

I had been told by a few of my experienced friends that kids don't have a good concept of sharing until about 4 or 5 years of age. So I was pleasantly surprised that our generous baby seemed to have no qualms over sharing. Whether during playgoups, or on play-dates, she would happily proffer the toys she was playing with or food she was eating with other kids her age. Whether they were toys belonging to the playgroup, or her own did not seem to make a difference.

Until this week, that is. We had not had any kids over to our house in some time, due mostly to a hectic work schedule and some traveling. However, this week our baby's friend, three months her junior, came over for a few hours, accompanied by her mother. This is a friend of hers that we had had many play-dates with, and they had always gotten along quite well. 

About half-way through the visit, our Brat did something that shocked me, and simultaneously made me laugh. She started hoarding her toys, and would add any toy that her friend was interested in playing with. At one point, she was sitting on her quadracycle, holding a teddy bear, a doll, and somehow managed to find a way to also grab an abacus as well as a "push" toy called a "colour roller". All because her friend wanted those same toys. I considered getting the camera out, but felt I needed to be there to mediate. However, nothing I said convinced her to share. Yet when her friend left the room, she was clearly looking for her; she obviously enjoyed her company, but felt possessive vis-a-vis her toys.

While I realize she was acting as a typical child her age would, simply developing a sense of identity, I feared future toy fights...especially with her baby sister. So I googled "how to get your toddler to share", and I discovered that most experts suggested it would be a very gradual process, and that teaching by example would be the best strategy. But wasn't I already teaching by example? The very toys she considers her own are in fact my toys that I chose to share with her...

Third Quarter

Reading with Mama and Baby #2

I recently entered the third trimester of my current pregnancy, thereby reaching the 3/4 mark. I cannot help but compare my two pregnancies. So very similar in some ways, yet different. For instance, a few weeks ago we were enjoying breakfast out with some of our friends. "How is your pregnancy going?" I was asked. And in that moment, I had actually forgotten that I was pregnant, albeit momentarily.

The main difference is that this pregnancy, I am less focused on the pregnancy, no doubt  because of Brat #1. During my first pregnancy, I could tell you how pregnant I was, to the minute, the fundal height, the fetal heart rate (both of which I checked regularly), and how often I was getting Braxton Hix contractions. This pregnancy, I am definitely less concerned about almost everything. Once the nausea lessened at around 20 weeks gestation, I actually often forgot I was pregnant. I have been so focused on the Brat who demands my full attention, that the small details of my pregnancy take a back seat. Rather than worrying about keeping track of all the normal things of pregnancy, I am simply aware that everything is progressing normally.

However, now that I have entered the third trimester, it is harder to forget that I am pregnant. For one thing, my belly is bulging. For another, my centre of balance is definitely off, and I can't do things like play tennis with as much ease as I did in my first two trimesters. Nor can I carry the Brat around without quickly tiring. I have a feeling that it won't be long before the Brat becomes daddy's girl...

The Scribe

Caught in the Act

This week, I discovered something very interesting. Baking soda is excellent for removing crayon stains from walls and floors. This was a discovery that came as a surprise for a number of reasons. Mostly because our daughter had showed little interest in colouring up until this week.

I had purchased a set of soy-based non-toxic crayons well over six months ago. I showed her how to colour a scrap of paper. And thereafter regularly brought out the crayons to encourage her to draw. She showed very little interest, preferring to break and throw the crayons. This Monday, however, she went on a colouring frenzy. Approximately one month ago, I purchased a kid-sized table and chairs from Ikea, and placed them next to our kitchen island. Hoping mostly that she would occupy herself while I prepared her meals. On her table, I had set out a few scraps of paper, some stickers, and a tumbler full of crayons.

She ignored the crayons up until this last Monday. She took one, coloured all over the scraps of paper. She then quickly changed colours, and lifted the papers to colour on the clean white table. Next, she coloured on her chairs. Then the floor, and finally the walls. I did not want to stifle her artistic inclinations, so I let her continue for a few minutes. I tried to redirect her to the scraps of paper, but to no avail. She did eventually give up, but not before colouring on everything in sight.

At this point, I quickly googled "how to clean crayons off walls", and discovered that I had the ingredients to a quick cleanup right in my kitchen. I simply powdered a wet sponge with baking soda, and voila, the crayon marks were wiped clean.

The Brat watched with great interest as I cleaned up. She has continued to colour on her chairs and table on a daily basis, but much to my relief, decided to forego the walls and floors. However, since Monday, once she colours on the chairs, she passes them to me to clean. She then colours with renewed vigour on her clean chairs.

Oh the simple joys of childhood...