Baby bump

Melanie at 37.5 weeks.

Sleep

My best friend, right now, is sleep. (Fickle me.)

All three kids (with the odd exception of Matthew not cooperating) all let me sleep in after Phil leaves, and all let me nap after lunch. They probably understand a little just how important for their own good it is that I get rest.

Maybe time change will go smoothly.
(One can wish)

Fit

The calm after the storm.

Life is so frustrating for Matthew.

He just doesn't get it why sometimes we know what he means, and other times have no idea what he's trying to say. If after two guesses we're still completely out to lunch, and he's in "the mood", then he has a fit.

After all, why are we intentionally offering to help him in such completely irrelevant ways? It must be because we are TRYING to make his life miserable.

Maybe he should work on his communicating...

Preparations

The baby room is now all set.

But Melanie really thinks it's her room. She said she's happy to have the baby in her room so she won't have to be sad by herself anymore. Perhaps being the only one in the house who sleeps by herself has been taking it's toll on her.

Getting ready for bed:

Eeyore's birthday is the only Pooh story they want this week.

After all, birthday's are very important!
We just had one...and another one coming up any day (or week)!

Spare room downstairs; left side is my side, right side is Phil's.

The pantry shelves that he made divide it up so that we get along better.
I attacked Philip's side today, and who knew it was so very big? There's actually plenty of room for less than luxurious bedding, and the freezer door (an upright) can still open!

I'm sure the sorting and cleaning was not approved of by my husband, but as I didn't want to sacrifice MY side, I figured while he was gone at work, I'd make a sacrifice from him.

I'm so sweet.

Some day I should pack up some newborn stuff for the hospital run. Once I do that I'll be thinking "any day" instead of "any week", so I think I'll wait 'til the day of. :p

Sunny in the Rain

These past few days have been rainy. These past few days we've all had colds. So we stayed home. Usually these means I get really frustrated, but this time it's been really great! Both today and yesterday up until the last 10 minutes before Daddy came home, the kids were all playing quietly, even sharing with each other!




I've been watching the way the kids have been playing, and I've been thinking. This is how I always imagined being a stay at home mom would be like. This is just fabulous! The kids are taking turns with each other. They're laying on the floor doing puzzles, they're coming to me to help tie something or dress a doll, read a book, or answer a question. And we're all happy.
(I'm sure it won't last!)




Hopefully these are the kinds of days I'll remember when I'm old. I don't think I even got angry once today. I don't have much of a voice, so if I had wanted to yell at them, I couldn't anyways, but it's been lovely that I haven't even wanted to.



Yes, I am very grateful. For all these children. For the hope of another very soon. For so many many many things.

I should start counting.

Sheer

So this is what I've been working on. 1 out of 6 almost done. I only made two mistakes while doing it. One was sewing the heading tape on the wrong side--which I had to remove ever so carefully without ripping this delicate fabric (which makes me wonder just how long it'll survive around the kids--what were we thinking anyways??) and then sew again on the other side. Also, I chalked it on the wrong side...but from these pics I don't think you can see it.


I still need to pinch the pleats at the top, but that'll be way way easier than the other panels, since I can actually push a needle through it no problem. You can't even see on this picture the blue dressmaker's chalk. I was tired last night, and chalked on the wrong side. Oops! What's the best way to get it out without washing it?


I'm still not sure on the length. Is it too much shorter than the drapes? Or is that good? Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't.

I can't believe how easy it was to sew that sheer fabric. I was pretty worried about it, and still took ages to do it, but it wasn't even traumatizing! I don't think it bunched up any worse than the regular fabric. Yay!

Now if I get one panel done a week (or less) and if the baby is overdue (quite likely) then I still have time to finish it before the baby is here.

BUT this panel took me two or three weeks...and I'm not likely to go any faster...I can try fool myself anyways. ;)

Mistakes.

Why no knob on the door?

Well, there was one. With a lock. Turns out, we have never had a key for it. Not for the three years we've been here. Good thing it was only pajamas and a teddy that got locked in the room, and not a child! The knob is no longer functional, but at least we can tuck the boys in bed again! They all got to stay up a bit late on the night of this incident! Hard to believe we had this hazard waiting for its moment for all that time!

At least the kids know what they're doing!



(Coloring and eating, that is.)

I am a lousy housewife. I'm sure my Mom taught me better. But still I fall short. Spring cleaning is something I haven't done yet. Dusting is also very rarely and very poorly done. The consequence being

mold growth in MY bedroom. AGAIN. Disgusting. Notice, also, the peeling ceiling paint? I tackled the mildew today, but only did where it was. No big dusting spree. No huge renovation to prevent further damage. But I did put the screens away for the winter...less places for stuff to grow on. Less things to clean later. Maybe a dehumidifier would prevent this? (Dusting regularly and using the ceiling fan would be more labour intense cost effective solutions?)

Big bad boys, a bad girl, and a big bunkbed

Are you doing good?

I'm being asked this a lot more lately. And before this weekend, the answer was always, yes! Terrific in fact! Full of energy (absurdly so).

But this weekend I got a cold. I also noticed, simultaneously, that my children could use a bit of work. Behaviour therapy, if that's what you like to call it.

I'm sure that having a lot of changes in their lives all in a row does not help to make them behave better. Nor does it help having a Mom who is tired a lot.

One of the changes was the room switcheroo, and another was new beds for the boys. Bunk beds!! They are both thrilled with the arrangements!

Melanie is only a TAD jealous! (She's a little spoiled from her birthday bliss!) She has been kicked off of playing in the bunkbed a few times, twice of which, I believe, were a result of her playing with the ceiling fan. The bunkbed really dominates the room. I do believe we will be looking into an alternative light for the duration of the bunkbed use in that room, though. I think it could get a little dangerous otherwise!

I haven't been sleeping well lately either (in addition to the coughing cold and contrary children), but considering the circumstances (bloating body and terrible toddlers) I think I am still getting a moderate amount of shuteye. Still, nap time is mandatory for my daily survival now!

Muddled Monday

Nathan made "a machine for breaking tree branches into little pieces, with stairs on it so you can go up and put the tree branches in." I think that's the long version of a fancy mulching machine. Our neighbours took down their tree the other day (yes, I shed some tears over it) and it was fascinating to watch, especially since they were amateurs doing it for free so they could collect the firewood. They had branches bouncing off the wires a few times. Fun stuff!

After party celebrations:




I finally cleaned up the party mess by the end of Saturday. That way the kids could think it was still a party all week long. ;) The balloons are still downstairs...may as well get our $ out of it! :p

This is how I found the kids halfway through my morning cleanup. They look so peaceful.
And innocent.



They played so nicely all morning that I took them to the park for an hour as a treat.

But then one of them had an attitude the whole time there, and wailed ALL the way home. All ten minutes.

the big day

Melanie had a fabulous day.




What fun it is to be three!! I'd love to trade places with her!
No more responsibilities...
I think I could use that right about now...
(I think I found a few grey hairs this morning.
I'm feeling old.)

Birthday Girl

Presenting:

Two jealous boys.
What could they be so intently watching?
And drooling over?

The candy?
Or the cake?

What a spoiled girl!

Fast Pace

We've had a good week. Hard to believe it's pretty much gone already! Often it's Wednesday or Thursday, and I'm wondering when oh when it'll be Friday evening so Daddy will be home to stay, so he can help me out. But now it's here and I'm not ready for it!


The kids love that I had a good week.

It's so much nicer when Mom is happy.

(As long as the good mood lasts.)

It's raining outside (a playdough day), the kids aren't fighting with eachother, the music I put on is rather lullaby-ish, and it's so comfy in this chair.

Hopefully I get out of my lazy mode, and at the very least clean up the breakfast dishes before Phil gets home. I guess making us all a dinner would be good too!

If I have to.

After quiet time, I often, when I feel generous, read a book to Nathan. After all, he takes them to bed to read, and usually want at least one of them explained or read to him once he is released from his hour of boredom.

Today I read one. He was looking out the window about half the time. I thought it was because he knew the pictures by heart.

But then, as soon as I was done.
"Mommy, can I play outside on the driveway?"
"Yes."
"On the driveway, Mom?"
"Yes, I heard you."
(But did you hear me?)

And I thought I was doing him a favour.

Introducing Junior

Junior

or Juniorette?
I am really getting curious.

Whichever it is, the baby is a bit of a pain in the back some days. Or a pain in the whatever-it-chooses-to-kick.

As you can see, I am rather pregnant. Or fat. Depending on how tactful you want to be. :p
I have a midwife appointment today, so I have babies, labour and all that fun stuff on my mind.
I am no longer able to pretend I'm not pregnant. Putting on pants and socks is quite a work out. First thing in the morning it can be rather dangerous!! But that's just the tip of the pregnancy iceberg...

Last midwife appointment, I was informed gleefully by my ditsy midwife that the baby was head down already (after some painful probing). Shortly thereafter she mentioned that baby will likely be turning around for a few more weeks yet, so that was by no means useful information. Today I get my cool and professional midwife.

Bliss

I'm a bit jealous at the luxury and length of Matthew's nap time!
Doesn't he look just a little too comfy?

While the troublesome toddler sleeps his life away, the two older ones are having lots of fun.

This is the second time I let them have free reign with my leftover scrap box and other supplies. Must be a half a year ago since last time. But I felt inspired to let them do something fun today...since after, who can't be inspired today? It's windy, it's chilly, and it's fall!! Bliss. Too bad I can't excuse spending the whole day doing yard work--like picking up leaves as they fall off the trees.