A couple of exciting things have happened in the past week:

1)  The lightening definitely occurred, and Tara is WAY lower now.  I can breath and eat better ... but I waddle a bit like a duck!

2)  Tara passed two biophysical profiles - last Friday and this past Tuesday - with perfect "10" scores!  Yay! 

Next doctor's appt. is tonight!  :->

Wow .. just this morning, it feels like Tara has moved down and is beginning to settle into place for birth.  I had read that would happen about this time .. and, apparently, it is.  Now I have more of a "waddle", but the good part is that I also feel like I have more room to breathe!

The next few weeks will involve a few ultrasounds and non-stress tests.  Tara did GREAT on her last non-stress test .. she kicked up a storm.  She was actually kicking so hard that you could see the kicks from a few feet away.

Feeling tired (40 hours a week of work, 12 hours a week of commuting, getting ready for the baby, several doctor's/ultrasound appointments a week, etc.)  But we're very excited!  :->

- Ela and Joe

I got this in my email today; it's just so sweet!  :->

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 
to 8 year-olds,       "What does love mean?" 

One of our local weekly papers has a feature called "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" .. which Joe and I both consider to be absolutely the BEST part of the paper every week.  All "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down" entries are submitted by readers .. and they are generally kudos (or raspberries) to their kids, neighbours, teachers, etc.

Some of the posts are very good and make good points.  Those aren't quite as much fun to read.

But then there are the real "crochety" ones ... those are interesting.  And there are the heartfelt thanks entries, which are often fun to read.

Anyway, I wrote in to the paper a couple of weeks ago with a big "THUMBS UP" to Joe for all of his help during the pregnancy.  (Boy, is he a lifesaver).

Not to be outdone ;->, our cat Theo wrote a "Thumbs Down" for his brother, Cody the Cat.  ;->  The paper published both entries together this week:

I'm so thrilled .. we just got back from the doctor's office, and we had a GREAT appointment! 

Tara is measuring 31 centimeters at 31 weeks .. perfect.  We heard her heartbeat and it's nice and strong (the doctor laughed when I said that .. he said, "What does the strong part mean .. I just happen to have the volume up high on the monitor!") 

Most importantly, the blood sugar issue (gestational diabetes) is under control and improved!  My best "weapons" this week have been fiber (lots of it!) and La Vache Que Rit cheese.  It was my favourite when I was three, and it's still my favourite now.  Their "cheese and baguette" combinations seem to be the PERFECT breakfast and snack for a woman with gestational diabetes!  :->

- Ela

When we went to talk to our priest (Father Carroll) about the christening a couple of Sundays ago, he gave me some prayer cards for St. Gerard (patron saint of expectant mothers).  He also gave me a little medal of St. Gerard (see above), which I have been wearing on a silver necklace ever since.

It has not proven to be an effective preventative for gestational diabetes  ;->.  But it might be helping me to manage it, and it's nice to have someone else "looking out for us".  :->

It looks like it will be Sunday, December 9th at 2 pm!  :->  We'll have a reception to follow at Minerals Hotel, with food, favours and fun for all .. I'm really looking forward to it.  And I'm already putting together the favour bags for everyone ... that's a lot of fun, and a chance to really celebrate having our first child and thank everyone who shares our special day!  :->

We went to the baptism preparation class earlier this week, and learned that the baby's name (first or middle) should "really" be a saint name.  (Now they tell us!)  We've scoured the Internet, but not come up with a Saint Tara or a Saint Lindsay.

The workaround is to add in a second middle name (for baptism purposes) which IS a saint's name.  So, we picked her godmother's name .. Anne.  So, her baptism name will be Tara Lindsay Anne McAdams.  Boy, is that long!!!

And the cool part is that if she later becomes a saint herself, odds are that she will be the first Saint Tara in Catholic Church history!  :->

We found out this past week that I have gestational diabetes, and we're trying to manage it through diet and exercise alone.  So .. it was off to see the dietician at the hospital on Saturday to learn more about it.   (I think I've read every Web site and article ever written on the subject, too!)

That's where we learned the shocking fact (above) about white bread.  One slice of white bread causes your blood sugar to elevate as badly as if you had eaten a Hershey bar.  Whole grain is WAY better for you, and does not cause the same problem.  Boy, am I glad I've always eaten whole grain bread (pasta, rice, etc.)!  :-> 

We're learning a lot more about healthy lifestyle and nutrition choices along the way ... so .. it's a good thing.  :-> 

I found this today on the Huggies Baby Network

Below are the matches we have for the name Tara