Dear Jellybean,

You're entering the 8th week now. I'm so happy that you've been behaving yourself somewhat the past few days. Mommy doesn't feel as bad as before. But she keeps on saying that you're always hungry. Mommy tries to feed you as much as she can but she can only eat a little at a time. When she can't eat anymore, you start making her feel hungry again! We can just pay and walk out of a food place and she'll be hungry all over again. Hmmm... any way you can stop eating for a short while between meals? I end up having to finish all the food that Mommy can't eat and I'm getting fat!

Daddy

Dear Jellybean,

Oooo!!! I'm so unhappy with you. You caused Mommy so much pain and discomfort last night. She was moaning and groaning the whole evening and night. Thank God that she managed to sleep by 1 a.m.

Mommy was so stressed and ill that we had to rush off to buy Sea Bands because she'd read on the Internet that it helps with controlling nausea. She put them on immediately because she was feeling so ill. We hadn't even paid for them yet and she opened them so that she could get them on. It was quite funny at the cashier's counter because the cashier was wondering why we were buying an empty box! However, they didn't really work. Later at night, I was so desperate in trying to make Mommy feel better that I grabbed the bands on her wrists and pushed against the 'buttons' to add more pressure on the 'acupoints' that the bands were supposed to work on. Mommy said that she felt a bit better after that. It didn't last long though. It was only at 1 a.m. that Mommy finally felt sleepy enough to ignore the pain and discomfort and go to sleep.

I could only start doing my work after Mommy had gone to sleep because I was so stressed by the amount of suffering she was going through.

Jellybean, I am keeping accounts of all these incidents. You owe Mommy big time when you come out. She has suffered so much to carry you. You make sure you behave yourself and make Mommy proud of you so that all this will be worthwhile, you hear?

But ... at the end of it all ... we still love you!!!

Daddy

Dear Jellybean,

Mommy and I have decided to call you Jellybean because that's your size and shape in the ultrasound. We started calling you a peanut at first because you were so small but Aunty Audrey thought that Jellybean would be a better name and we thought so too!

Anyway, just to let you know first, I have started an account of what you owe Mommy and me. This is because you really are not making it easy for Mommy. Mommy feels nauseous all day and night because of your growing inside her. She can't eat properly and every strong smell makes her very very sick. She also always feels very tired and she simply can't concentrate on what she's doing. Daddy is doing his best to take care of Mommy and I am getting very tired as well. So, you OWE us big time!!!

Of course, I'm just kidding, Jellybean. Mommy and I totally love you and are very excited about you. We are already planning how to decorate your room and we are preparing the flat for when you are with us. We are planning how to bring Mommy and you to the hospital when you are ready to come out of Mommy. We are also planning which primary school to send you to. And if you are a boy, what vocation we hope you'll end up in when you serve National Service.

Mommy and I are also hoping that you'll grow up to love music and want to learn to play musical instruments because we love music as well. We hope that you'll love to make music and listen to music like Mommy and Daddy! We also hope that you'll enjoy reading as much as we do.

Mommy and I are praying every moment that you'll develop properly inside Mommy and come out strong and healthy. And when you grow up, we want you to be a God-Fearing Christian who will make us proud.

Well, Jellybean, continue to grow strongly and healthily. Mommy is doing her best to give you what you need and want. Try to stop making her feel sick, ok?

Mommy and Daddy

Dear Jellybean,

Wow! You exist!!! We only found out this morning.

Mommy had not been feeling well since last week. But as she'd just ended her exams, we thought that her body was just reacting to the exhaustion arising from that. Then we thought maybe she was suffering from the flu virus that's going around. I kept on joking with Mommy that she was pregnant but she refused to believe it.

When she started demonstrating pregnancy symptoms, she finally did a home pregnancy test and it was positive. Mommy was so excited when she saw the test results that she woke me up to tell me immediately! It was about 5.17am then. Good thing it was close to the time that I had to wake up anyway or else I would be SO grumpy! We were both SO excited!!! But at the same time, we were quite apprehensive as you are going to be our first baby!!! We immediately prayed to God that you would grow well and come out all healthy and strong!

As we wanted to confirm that you were really around, we went to see our GP. The urine test he conducted actually showed that Mommy was NOT pregnant! In fact, as he put it - there was no reaction from the test strip at all. However, as he knows us, he accepted that we did get a positive result from the home test kit, so he tried to get us an appointment with a gynaecologist. But she was busy so he had us go to a Radiography Clinic of some sort - they do ultrasounds there. So, we went there immediately.

We had to wait quite some time for our turn. The ultrasound confirmed without a doubt that you were around. Based on your size, the radiographers are guessing that you are about six weeks old.

We were so excited that we immediately told your Grandmas and Uncles and Aunties!!!

You are making Mommy go through the phase of aversion to food and Mommy is suffering from nausea now. It's quite bad. Mommy feels sick throughout the day and night but she's forcing herself to eat so that you can get enough nutrients to grow.

Jellybean, make sure you grow up well. And be a God-fearing Christian, ok?

Daddy and Mommy