The closer I get to Baby #2's due date, the more sentimental I get about Anissa and how grown up she has become. While in one way I can barely remember my life without her, it also feels like yesterday that I watched she and Mehdi gaze into each other's eyes for the very first time at St. Luke's hospital. This little person has completely stolen our hearts, as this soon-to-arrive babe will surely also do, and I am in constantly in awe of the individual she has become. It's a strange mix of feelings to be so proud of someone and all they have become, yet wish you could somehow freeze time and keep them small and innocent forever. I know that the day her sibling comes, as so many people have warned me, Anissa will suddenly seem much older in my eyes, and that piece of me that still sees her as a "baby" will have to let go. So I will try my best to celebrate the person she has become rather than mourn the loss of having her as my baby. Here are some things I want to remember about Anissa at age three and a half:

Her sweetness. She often proclaims her love for me, Mehdi, the baby, her grandparents, and even "everybody in the whole weirld!" (world) And her proclamations are over the top: that she loves us to Alberta and to the sky and to Tunisia and to the moon and around the weirld and back and back again and again forever! She especially makes these proclamations before falling asleep or in the middle of the night, when she is sleepy. She also tells me that she always wanted me for her momma.

The fun she has with Mehdi. When Anissa hears the garage door open when Mehdi comes home from work, she insists - in a total panic - that we both run, quick!, and hide (usually in the coat closet). When he looks for us, she usually pretends she is some sort of animal and growls or roars to help him find us. She shrieks with the same level of excitement each time he opens that door. Then the craziness begins: Anissa and Mehdi spend that half hour or so before dinner either playing "crocodiles! il y'a des crocodiles!" (saving each other from crocodiles) or tag or wrestling or whatever physical play she craves that day. When they go out toboganning together in the yard, I can hear their shrieks and laughter from inside the house.

Her depth. She thinks about some pretty deep stuff, and throws me for a loop with some of her questions. Death is the latest subject of discussion, which I have to admit I avoided for as long as possible. It started with her questions about monsters and dinosaurs: "Mama, monsters never lived, right? But dinosaurs did? Where did they go? Where are they now?" And now it's evolved to people and pets, like Mom and Dad's dog Penny. When I explained that people and animals get old and die, and many people believe they go to a place called Heaven, her only concern was that someone in Heaven would still feed Penny her doggy treats.

Her sense of humour. The girl loves to laugh, and seeks out any excuse to crack up. She's silly and will milk a joke for all its worth. Lately, for example, she plays that she is Mr. Backwards, and can carry on the gag for long stretches of time: saying Bye instead of Hi, walking backwards, etc. Of course, the joke sometimes starts to fade pretty quickly for us, but that's half the fun, right?

I could go on all night - but, truthfully, it's now too close to bedtime and my typing skills are seriously deteriorating. Maybe more soon...

Well, here it is, my basketball belly in all its glory. About 3 more weeks to go, and it feels like this baby is going to explode right out of my skin, things are getting so crowded in there.

So how about a little game, everyone? Click on Comments under the photo, and give us your prediction for: date of birth, gender, size of baby, length of labour, anything else you may want to add. In fact, we wouldn't even mind some name suggestions :)

A funny little aside: my 12 year-old niece Matayla was recently talking about the baby as "she", and when my sister-in-law asked her why she thought it was a girl, she explained that she couldn't imagine Mehdi and I dealing with all that gross stuff that little boys do, like picking their nose and stuff!

As my due date fast (a little over a month to go!) approaches, my choice of comfortable attire becomes more and more limited. A few nights ago, I threw on a loose red striped maternity shirt and the only pyjama pants I can squeeze into (very baggy plaid flannels) for bed. The outfit felt great, but I don't think it'll be top choice for my hospital ensemble, because Anissa asked me in the morning, "Mommy, why are you wearing a clown suit? And where's the red nose?"

Another funny from my girl:
Anissa was running around naked one day, and decided to ride the new toy horse she got for Christmas. Attempting to round her up, I called, "Lady Godiva, come get dressed!". She of course wanted to know who Lady Godiva was, and when I explained that she was famous for riding her horse naked through the town, she exclaimed, "That's who I want to be for Halloween next year!"

That would get the neighbours talking.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2006 was as good to you as it was to our little family.

We had our own mini-Christmas here in Newmarket for which Santa kindly came early, then we headed north to Montreal for a week of making merry. I missed being away from my family for the first time ever during the holidays, of course, but time with Mehdi's family and friends eased the homesickness. Mama Jo went all out for our visit: the food, decorations and her hospitality were impressive as always. Anissa was in heaven, and kept asking, "But Christmas isn't over yet, is it?"

Mama Jo, the Hostess with the Mostest.

Hanging' with Uncle Aziz and Anty Eolie.

Boxing Day at the Biodome, and Anissa gets to meet Caillou (I think Mehdi looks just as thrilled, don't you?)

After watching real beavers in action, Anissa (along with buddies Clara, Leo, Zach and Chloe) got to experience the beavers' life firsthand.