Someone Told Us...

...that we were having a baby. That now we are parents-to-be.
Someone told us that the full moon would trigger it, that on the 27th we would have it.
So this week we packed our stuff and put them aside together, ready to go to the hospital any hour.
And the full moon showed, and the next day rose.
But here we are, still waiting for our little baby who's too cozy to come out, but hopefully will greet us soon.

Final Shots

We're reaching the end of the pregnancy! And while everything is still going smoothly, we did what could be the last photo shoot of the growing belly. Here are a few of the pictures with some of my other favorites from the past months...Bébé, if you want to come out now we are more than ready to welcome you...

Baby Shower

According to tradition, you have a baby shower for your first child, and so this past Saturday, with a lot of work from Sara and Bev, it was Rachel's turn to have HER baby shower! I drove with her to her parents, making her think we were only going there for lunch. I took my time to make sure everyone would be there to surprise her when we got there.
Again, thank you to all of you for giving Rachel a great shower and for being so generous. I got worried when I saw all we (I) had to bring back home thinking I'll need a few trips to do so, but it's crazy how much you can fit in the "Fit"... so everything came home with only one trip! Baby Janus is not even there yet but already so spoiled...

Rollin'

As an early gift for my 1st Father's day, Rachel gave me a "flip", a tiny HD video camera, so easy to use with one button for everything and so easy to transfer the video onto the computer.
So I used it for the first time yesterday to film the belly which was moving quite a lot - well until I pressed record! But I succeeded in getting this little moment. We're still wondering if it was a knee rolling, a foot, an elbow, or maybe a hand. Who knows?!

I Gotta Feeling...

...that today's gonna be a good day,
That today's gonna be my last day,
That today's gonna be a good good day

That could be the song Rachel is singing this morning on her way to work because, yes, it is indeed her last day at work. And just like every year she deserves it after a long year of hard work but this time she will out of school a little before the other teachers...and for the best reason! Because today is also the 1 month mark before our due date.

Can You Hear Me?

Last week, we got this awesome little device from Massimo and Barbara which allows us to listen to the baby's heartbeat!!! So right away I looked for a way to record it on the computer, not only for us to keep forever but also to be able to share these special little things with my family and close friends. So here is the premiere of the academy award winner Bébé Janus for his role in Heartbeat...

Happy Mother's Day

Like every second Sunday in May, this is Mother's Day. But unlike every second Sunday in May, this year is Rachel's FIRST Mother's Day and we were so happy to celebrate it as she has only 7 weeks left to go now. And since she is continuing to carry the baby nice and warm in her well-rounded belly, her first gift, this cute dress from Gap, will get lots of use until the baby's arrival as the weather gets warmer and warmer.
After a deluxe breakfast made by chef Fab with cappuccino, croissants, strawberries and homemade "fromage blanc" (!), we went to spend the day at Bonne-Maman's with the rest of the family to set up and organize her front and backyard like we do every year. It was another nice day to spend with the women we love and take care of them: the moms and mom-to-be.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you.

At The Beach

Last Saturday, the weather called for some time outside the home and so we went for a picnic at the beach in Longbranch. It was nice and warm even though there is always a cool breeze at the shore this time of the year. But it was nice enough to stay a few hours with some guitar melodies. Here are some pictures of the day...

31 Weeks - 9 to Go

We now officially entered the last quarter of the pregnancy. Everything is going well still despite some heartburn here and there and some tiredness. Otherwise Rachel is doing great...well, except for some big leg cramps ("charlie horses" to quote the pregnant one) coming from nowhere in the middle of the night. But besides this, baby Janus does not bother mommy too much and since the baby is so well-behaved, auntie Sara made another great gift by crocheting this cute hat that will keep its head nice and warm this winter!
At home, we finally took apart Rachel's old bed and got rid of the last items that belonged to the "office" so we can definitely call this area "the baby's room". It's taking shape...

Evolution

A little rounder, prettier and prettier, Rachel is still carrying the pregnancy quite well. Not much happening these days but us playing a bit with the camera and taking pictures of the belly from all the different angles.

The Growing Belly...

A little update on the pregnancy. Everything is going for the best. Here is a picture taken last night as we're getting toward the end of our 23rd week, still smiling and not much suffering - I mean, for Rachel!

Photo Shoot

Today we went for our 20 week and sadly last ultrasound (already!). Good thing that it was today because tomorrow it's snow time and all appointments have been canceled!
Beverly came with us to share the special moment. It was the other mom's turn after maman Janus came for the 12 week one.
It was hard to keep our eyes closed when we could have found out the sex but we did, and now everybody has to wait until D-day, 20 more weeks from now!
Everything is still going smoothly (of course when you know who's the father). The belly is becoming rounder and rounder and Rachel feels the baby more and more. As for me, for the first time I felt a little something yesterday evening. Maybe it was the baby's way to say "watch out, I'll be here soon".

New Addition

After having kept the secret for a little while to make sure we would have time to tell everyone, it is now official, the Janus clan will expand as Rachel and I are expecting a happy event scheduled for June 27th! Yeap, Rachel is pregnant for a little more than 4 months now. Actually, she even felt the baby for the first time yesterday...on the other hand I will have to be a little more patient and wait a few more weeks to be able to feel it too.

We'll try to post updates of the pregnancy regularly. Next step is in two weeks from today with the next and last ultrasound (20 weeks) before the delivery. After which we will have to be very patient and wait for the day of birth to see the baby again.
We might lose some room in our apartment but we will gain so much more in our hearts and we can't wait to see our little one come into our world.
Santé!