Two Monkeys: Nicholas & Joshua Read

We discovered this week that our little Nicholas is comfortable in my belly lying in a sideways position, also called 'transverse lay'. We visited Dr. Farrell this week to confirm his position and it seems that my short body and comfortable uterus has resulted in him being in the transverse position. He still has many weeks to move head down, but we are going to confirm it via another ultrasound in a few weeks. His awake times are usually in the morning and after 9 pm. He must take after me for being a night owl. I've been playing some Amy Winehouse and Bocelli for him so that he can develop some musical tastes. Not sure who he prefers, but at this point, he has no choice. My belly is no longer hidden as the growth over the past few weeks have made it more noticeable. Maybe I can park in the pregnant women spots at malls now! Here's a pic that Cam and I took last night.

With the dismal summer that we had this year, we decided to take full advantage of some beach time. At 26 weeks, the baby is supposed to be just beginning to open its eyes, so we took a quick trip over to the Aylmer Beach to get some much needed vitamin D.

Nicholas already has a group of friends! Here are two of his future friends - Roman and Massimo. These buds met for the first time last week and you can see how they're already cozy with each other. I can't wait for the photo shoots to take place with all the little boys lined up!

Cam and I celebrated our anniversary weekend relaxing in the afternoon at Gatineau Park. When we first got there, we wanted to go to O'Brien Beach, but quickly learned that there was a bear loose. I had already swam with sharks in the Bahamas, so we decided that we didn't want to put Nicholas through anymore grief and chose to find a 'bearless' picnic location. We stumbled across this tiny lake that had a nice little sitting area. Despite the friendly mosquitos, we enjoyed a nice afternoon by the lake. Cam even amused himself for a few hours with the local squirrel who really liked our healthy whole grain crackers. Nicholas enjoyed some sun time - I've read that babies at this stage can recognize light, so I figure he mind as well get as much as he can now because it's going to be a long, cold, dark winter!

I've officially made it to my 6th month without blowing up like a whale! I have taken on some new names from Cam, such as Teletubby, chubby - all in good fun though. I'm even planning to go to whatever Halloween event as a Teletubby - when else would I get to show off a natural belly in a costume! hahah. Cravings are known to happen to women during pregnancy, so thought I'd share the foods that I've been happily overdosing on: Blueberries: For at least 3 months, I was having a pint of blueberries every day. Kirsten and Sue at work watched in amazement as I brought in the daily pint to eat. Thank goodness blueberries were often on sale at various grocery stores, and were large and juicy. I hope Nicholas doesn't turn out to be a blue smurf! Cherries: They were irresistible in June/July. I believe I overloaded as it made me constipated!! eeks. Not good for pregnancy. They were delicious though - especially the ones from Washington. Dairy Milk Chocolate Fruit & Nut

This week marked a significant rise in baby movements in the belly. It's the neatest thing to see little twitches and slight movements in your belly. Cam has been talking to the belly for the past month and finally this week, Nicholas responded to his voice. The movements aren't predictable, but I do notice them more at night when I'm lying on the couch. Needing to see some action, I've been prodding the belly to see if it will respond. I also started singing the few songs I know like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and ABCD to the belly - and amazingly enough, he likes my songs because he moves when I sing. Other things I wonder during this pregnancy - does he grow only at night or during the day too? Does he roll around and flip around or is he in one position? I can't wait to be able to feel body parts in the coming weeks as it gets tighter and tighter for him in the belly.

Photos Photos More slide shows Poppy seed to pumpkin: How big is your baby? 23 weeks 21 of 38 Your baby weighs about as much as a large mango -- just over a pound. (Length: more than 11 inches.) See your baby at 23 weeks gestation . Read about your baby's development this week . Slide to see more photos

Your pregnancy: 23 weeks See the big picture How your baby's growing: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound ( about as much as a large mango ), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Here's a pic of the belly at 22 weeks taken last Sunday. Cam and I were out to see the fireworks last night at Lac Leamy and all the noise prompted the little guy to kick for a bit while they were going off.

Cam spent the rainy day today setting up the crib - 6 hours later, it was done!

Ann and Aki visited Ottawa this week, so we were able to meet up with them last Sunday. Sofia turned 1 years old, so we were able to help celebrate her birthday at Vincent Massey Park. Sofia will definitely get to meet her little friend next year. She's grown incredibly since we last saw her in April.

This week, I went to see Dr. Chris J. Farrell for my 22nd week checkup. I was probably the most relaxed at this visit since we've gone though most of the major tests with flying colors. I've also been feeling regular movements, which also soothes my worries. Dr. Farrell has been fantastic from the very start. When my family doctor first presented me with a list of doctors to choose from, I had no idea who to select. The list was overwhelming, so I quickly took a glance and noticed one that had the same last name as the OB that delivered me - Dr. P.J. Farrell in Sudbury. My mom always talked about him and I knew as early as Grade 4 that he was my delivery doctor. She must have liked him because she saw him regularly, went into the delivery room by herself, not speaking any english, and delivered without drugs. My first impressions of Dr. Farrell was that he was very old school. He takes the time to answer every single question you have and is very thorough. He never rushes you