Summer Vacation

Today is the first day of summer vacation for us.  Liam has been out of school for about two weeks, but Lilia's final day of Kindergarten was yesterday.  I'm looking forward to summer vacation, sort of.  The weather being what it's been, I'm a little afraid it will mirror winter in there's five of us trapped in a small house, but for the most part, as long as it's warm and sunny, we have a huge yard for the kids to play in.

Mei loves books too!

Summer rules are in effect, much to Liam's chagrin.  No tv in the afternoon, until after dinner.  No reason to turn it on, there's plenty to do outside, right?

Today was fun though.  After a morning playing outside, we all went to get hot dogs from the vendor near the Herkimer Library, something my husband has done since he was a child.  Then we went to the library, even Mei.  We picked some books to bring home, (*ahem* because we lost a book last year and haven't paid the fine yet, used books they were selling...), the kids played some computer games, read a little, played games and did some puzzles.  It's something we'll probably do at least once a week.  And maybe next week, we'll walk there, instead of driving.

After the library, we went home for baby nap time, and magically (yes, I do mean it was magic...) 4 year old nap time.  Liam was laying against Daddy, and next thing we hear is *snore*.  Almost two hours of peace and quiet, and it was hard not to daydreams of a peaceful summer vacation.

Today's journal entry- Lilia haved a hot dog.

While Liam slept, Lilia and I worked on her writing.  She loves to learn so much that I decided to continue working with her on her reading and writing.  She has a little workbook, and a journal from Kindergarten, plus papers and books.  She did some worksheets, practiced writing her name and address and phone numbers, and wrote in her journal.  She was so excited to do all this.  Her favorite part was her list of words.  It's a list of 100 most frequent words in books for beginner readers, and my understanding was that her entire class was working hard at learning all these words.  We went through the first fifty, and she did pretty well, with only three or four words spelled wrong.  And I have to admit that I had a lot of fun quizzing her on those words.  It's pretty awesome to watch your child display the skills she's learned.  It amazes me how well she can read at this age.

Liam's blueberry topped pancake

After our quiet nap and study time, we decided to go out to dinner and celebrate our first day of summer vacation more.  Not the healthiest of meals, but we hit IHOP, as the kids love pancakes.  And being kids eat free night, the entire meal was less than $20 bux.  After that, a trip to the book store (the library and the book store on the same day...) where we read more books, and then headed home.  It was a perfect summer day, though it might've needed a little gardening fun.  (Dad mowed the lawn, does that count?)

Of course, I'm guessing by this time...next week, maybe?...I'll be ready for them to go back to school.  And by September, I expect I'll be kicking them out the door.

The old bed.  I just cleaned those weeds out last week.

Probably my biggest goal, outside of not going crazy with two kids and a newborn, was starting a new garden bed, and doing something about the old beds.  My initial plan was to transform the old beds into a patio area, but that's temporarily on hold until I can afford to put some money into that project.  But I have been working on making a new garden bed just for vegetables.

One of the biggest problems with the old beds is weeds. They don't end.  The previous owners apparently planted something perennial, and it's terrible.  I could spend three days cleaning out the weeds, only to have them return.  Because of time this year, I am using some of the old beds, but intend to do one of two things this fall:  tarp them so the winterize (and hopefully kill the plants underneath) or I'm tearing them apart.  But this year we have sunflowers, peas, spinach, carrots, corn, mint and strawberries growing in the old bed.  And weeds.  Lots and lots of weeds.

The new bed

The new bed is in the middle of my lawn.  In May, I put down some black plastic down with lawn staples, and let it kill the grass.  Now, here in June, I've been removing the remaining sod, tilling and preparing the soil.  This weekend I finally got two different varieties of tomatoes in, as well as a variety of peppers.  Within the the new few weeks, I'll be putting in pumpkin, watermelon, eggplant, squash, zucchini, cucumber, and squash, as well as some herbs.  The bed is about 10 by 25, and I'd like to make it 20 by 25 for next year.

While I still need to get some more trellises, I'm really happy with how everything is going.  It's been a lot of hard work, particularly since many times it's get as much done in an hour that I can, so I can then shower, cool down and hydrate myself before I nurse the baby.  But so far, it's been really satisfying.

Tomatoes and Peppers

How is your gardening growing?

June Day Book

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... It is raining and a bit chilly. But my Rhododendrons are still pretty and the bumble bees are still hovering around them.

I am thinking... about how stretched I feel between three children, a husband and my own needs.

I am thankful... for my husband, who keeps me grounded.

In the kitchen... is rhubarb, waiting to be made into a pie.

I am wearing... a new teething/nursing necklace from Etsy.

I am creating... nothing at the moment, although I have four different things I want to work on.

I am going... for pizza at my father-in-law's like usual.

I am wondering... when the sun will return and if I'll get the rest of my gardening done this weekend.

I am reading... nothing.  Absolutely nothing these days.  I have no time!

I am hoping... life gets easier as the baby grows.

I am looking forward to... a baby shower this weekend!

I am learning the trials and tribulations of being the parent of three.

Around the house... is scattered toys, laundry the needs to be done, and happy kids.

I am pondering... what to do to keep the kids busy this summer.  And buying a new set of knitting needles...

A favorite quote for today... Love as thou wilt.  

One of my favorite things... Music...it's keeping my spirits up these days.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Gardening.  Need to get the rest of my tomatoes and peppers in, as well as so many other things!

A peek into my day...

What are you doing, Mom?

Playing along with The Simple Woman's Daybook

Hoping to really and truly get back into blogging a little!

Wordless Wednesday

The birth of baby Mei

As I try to get back into the swing of things, I figured I would share Mei's birth story.  I think it's important that we as women share our positive birth stories.  We are so bombarded in the media with dramatic, frightening birth stories, something I think has led to one of the main reason our society is so fearful of birth.  While I acknowledge that birth can go wrong, I think, for most women, that it's a safe life event, and that we as women (and with the support of our loved ones) can make birth safer by making better, informed choices.

Like Liam, I decided on a home birth with Mei.  My reasons are numerous, but being in a safe, comforting place was amongst the top reasons.  The hospital frightens me, and takes away control, forcing unnecessary interventions on me and the baby, at least in my experience, and that's something I don't handle well.  I picked a great midwife, someone who made me feel very comfortable, and someone with experience.

I really thought I'd go into labor before Christmas, despite my 29th of December due date.  Lilia was 40 weeks and 6 days, and Liam was 38 weeks.  I had been having strong braxton-hicks, though no where near as bad as Liam's were.  But then I got sick with a seriously bad cough, and any signs of impending labor literally flew out the door.  As I started to get better, the signs returned, but by then, Christmas had come and gone.  December 26 we had a big snow storm, and I spend a few hours of intense braxton-hicks.  Luckily, Mei decided to wait.

Lilia's birthday, December 27

Lilia told us that she didn't want Mei to be born on her birthday.  She informed us that Mei would come the next day.  Apparently she knew what was going on.  On December 27th, Lilia's birthday, I went to bed, not really feeling like anything was going to happen. Contractions kicked up a little, but nothing that made me think "this is it!" Sleep was rather restless though, and it was about 4:30 when I felt what I can only describe as "bubbles" bursting. Nothing like Liam or Lilia's very distinctive "pops". I half thought I was dreaming. I went to the bathroom and had a small gush of liquid. I decided to wait 10-15 minutes to see if contractions started, and then went to the bathroom again, this time turning on the lights. There was a touch of meconium in the fluids, so I knew for sure my waters had indeed broken. I called the midwife, and woke John up. He went about moving stuff around, and Kelly (my midwife) headed over. She had actually just finished catching another baby!

I had minor contractions, but nothing big. It was actually pretty weird, considering both Lilia and Liam were very much *pop* and active labor within 10-20 minutes. I was really at a loss of what to do with myself. I tried to sleep, but couldn't- between the adrenaline and my cough, I felt like I was in a not so cozy frame of mind and body...I think I finally fell asleep for about a half hour at 11, and then again at 12. The midwives slept on my couches, since they hadn't slept that night either.

At some point, John and I watched The Avengers on his computer while we tried some nipple stimulation to see if that couldn't get contractions started. At around 2:30, I felt a very odd pop. I can only describe it as something snapped into place. It surprised me, and it hurt like hell. I started crying, I think both from the pain and shock, but it was shortly after that contractions began. Oh man, I forgot how terrible those really are.  I labored for a while. John and the midwives worked on getting the pool water warm enough, with John coming back during most contractions to rub me and support me. I don't even know what time I got in the water. It was SO warm and it initially felt good, but man...the contractions were plain awful.  Even with being "relaxed", they were hard to handle.  None of my previous hypnobirth training seemed to help, although I will admit to not preparing as well as I did with Liam.  Perhaps a refresher course should've been utilized...

Mei, covered in Vernix, shortly after birth

Kelly checked me at one point and my cervix was slightly swollen, probably from coughing so much. She offered to let me relax or to manually push the cervix lip over the baby's head. I chose the latter, not able to mentally handle the idea of postponing and dealing with more contractions. Oh.my.god. That hurt like hell. I felt like an animal trapped and in agony, seriously. It took 2-3 contractions of her holding the cervix open while I pushed, and sure enough we got the head through. More pushes, and I could feel Mei descend, and we got the head out.  Pushing didn't feel good this time though- it was as if there was no relief. After a few pushes to get the shoulders out, Kelly checked again, concerned we weren't making progress. With the speed of the other two babies, this one should've "squirted" out. She didn't, and Kelly tried to adjust the position of the baby, but to no avail. Little Miss Mei was stuck. She had me try one more BIG push (no noise, just everything I had) and when that didn't work, the next thing I knew, Kelly and the rest of the midwives lifted me from the water (John helping too), and then put me in a bunch of positions and adjusted the baby. Once on hands and knees, once on my back, and literally Kelly pulled the baby out of me while I pushed with everything I had. It was terrible and painful and I wouldn't wish for that on my worst enemies. The relief of her being out was incredible. She was placed immediately on my chest, and I was pretty much in shock, until Mei cried out and I was like "OH. A Baby! I did it." I was given a shot of pitocin, just because my iron levels weren't that great, and we didn't get a final test to see if it had gone up.

Getting checked out!

After a few minutes, I was helped up and we laid on the couch, Mei and I. I got to actually see her and cuddle her and all that. Kelly was just about to help the placenta when I had a coughing fit and sent the entire placenta flying out on my own, lol. After the cord stopped pulsating, John cut the cord and then we had more cuddle time.  Mei took to the breast like a champ. I was so surprised- neither kid took to nursing that fast before. After she was done, I showered, and then Kelly examined the baby, weighing her and all that good stuff. 8lbs, 12 oz. 20 inches long. Her torso was 3cm bigger than her head (hello reason why she got stuck!) She had 10 fingers, 10 toes, peed during the exam, and she had pooped almost immediately upon coming out, so everything was perfect.

And that's how Mei Elanor, born December 28, 2013 was brought into the world.

February Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... are clouds, wind and lake effect snow, which seems to go from very light to very heavy.

I am thinking... about how much I have to pee, and how hungry I am, but have a sleeping baby on my chest and don't wish to disturb her.

I am thankful... for a husband who really steps up to take care of the baby, particularly at night.

In the kitchen... is a continuous mess that's never truly contained. 

I am wearing... penguin pajama pants and a spit up covered pajama shirt.

I am creating... milk.  Lots and lots of milk.

I am going... crazy.  Slowly, but surely.

I am wondering... if the baby will actually sleep tonight.

I am reading... lots of websites on colic, fussiness, gas and spit up.

I am hoping... the baby sleeps tonight.

I am looking forward to... spring.  And for Mei to be a tiny bit older, and less fussy.

I am learning... patience.

Around the house... is chaos, although not as much as there could be.  I'm at least keeping up with the living room and dining room chaos.

I am pondering... what to do to occupy my mind as I hold a sleeping baby, or nurse a hungry baby.

A favorite quote for today...

A newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three. ~Grantly Dick-Read

One of my favorite things... is sleep.  Sleep is so blissful, and you really miss it when you aren't getting much of it.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Sleep, nurse, buy and play the newest Fire Emblem, work on digital scrapbook pages, and basically attempt to survive having a young, fussy baby.

A peek into my day...

Of course this could be a peek into my day, week or even month...

Playing along with The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Baby Project, part 2!

Every day, Lilia reminds me that the baby is getting bigger in my belly.  It's getting harder to walk, breath, eat and sleep.  Sometimes it's even hard to sit.  I expect December is going to feel pretty much like the entire summer...slow and never ending.  35 weeks along, and I think this one can come as early as next week, and as late as next year.

Remember this little unit?

Part two of my changing table project was actually transforming an old shelf unit into a small matching wardrobe.  We bought this unit way before we had kids.  At one time it was filled with DVD's and video games.  Then Lilia was born, and began to crawl and then walk, and all our DVD's got strewn onto the floor on a regular basis.  One by one, I emptied the shelves, and than as Lilia got old enough to leave it alone, I started putting it all back.  Until Liam came along, and then it was the same story.  Ever since then, the DVD's really never got put back onto this shelving unit, and there seems no point in trying to use it again for it's intended purpose- I'm sure this little one will do the exact same thing.

Finished, and perfect for newborn clothing!

As I began to gather baby stuff, I stored it in my dining room closet.  Liam's room has no closets, just a wardrobe and a set of drawers.  Lilia's room has a closet, though her toys are mostly stored in there, and no matter how many times I clean my own closet, there never seems to be room in there for long.  And then looking at this shelving unit that now seemed to function as a junk unit, an idea hit me.  A small wardrobe, perfect for holding the baby's clothes.

I started with a coat of paint.  Same color as the changing table.  I decided I wanted to keep a small shelf for storage, so I moved one shelf to the top most holes, and painted the shelf.  I bought an 18-30 inch adjustable clothing rod, and installed that.  There's a basket on the bottom for baby blankets, swaddles and changing table covers.  I debated having a second shelf on the bottom, but that took up too much room.  Because the top shelf was so thin, I used old silverware baskets from my kitchen drawers.  They have things like hair bows and hair bands, nail files, nail clippers, nose sucker, and the like.  I added a basket for bibs on the top, another basket for baby wash, coconut oil, and wipes solution, and the wipes warmer.  The top is actually protected by a plastic desk shield.  And I added a few decals from the set I used on the changing table.  It looks so nice, and I feel so organized!  I'm still debating on adding a curtain rod and a small curtain, but I can't decide if that would be too much.

Side with a decal.

So far, I placed all her newborn clothes, with the exception of onesies in there, as well as 0-3 month outfits, dresses.  I use one of the drawers in the changing table for oneies, and another for sleepers.  Everything fits in there nicely, and as she starts to outgrow items, it will be easy to just break out the next size, while stashing the old sizes.  And once we've had either an addition made, or we move to a bigger house, she can still use it for play clothes and toy storage.  I have a little mental image of attaching a mirror on the other side, and hanging up her (and Lilia and Liam's) dress-up clothes.  And again, this was super cheap.  Except for the baskets and the clothing rod, everything was an extension of the original changing table project.  The baskets I got from Kmart on Black Friday for 24.99 (for a 7 piece set that included a hamper, waste basket, and 5 different sized baskets.) and the clothing rod was $5.

Little Changes...

Before!

I've had the same crib and changing table for all my kids.  Well, sort of.  It's one of those convertible cribs that turns into a toddler bed, and then you can eventually use it for headboards, and the changing table can turn into an end table.  Or something crazy like that.  We used it for Lilia, and then when we had Liam, we converted it to a toddler bed for Lilia, and he slept in his own crib.  We kept the changing table part for him though.  Now no one using the crib or changing table, and until we decide how we're going to go about adding another room for the baby, I'm only using the changing table.

After two kids, it was a bit of a mess.  A bit of wear and tear, and me having the desire for something new looking, I knew I wanted to do something.  I had some ideas in my head, and then of course, I found some things on pinterest which made me think "Hey, I can do my ideas!"

After!

The first thing I did was wash the changing table, and then let it dry.  I added two layers of Benjamin Moore paint, in a chocolate mocha color.  After it was dry, I put on pretty little decals because I'm not so good at painting by hand.  Or with stencil.  I replaced the hardware, though I have to admit, I'm disappointed I couldn't find butterfly or flower shaped pulls like I envisioned.  But I like the little pink knobs well enough.  I found some cute baskets that fit the shelves (and small enough to be able to throw in a small basket just for snappi's when I get around to buying them!)  Since I cloth diaper, I added a towel bar, just to hang covers on between use.  Is it bad to admit that I feel a bit like genius for that one? Toss on the changing pad and a new cover, and voila.  My new changing table.

I love the bins, and I love the towel bar.

I wish my camera could do it justice.  I think I should've added new camera to my baby registry (which was really more so I could keep track of what I needed to buy...)  The best part is the price:  20 bux for the paint, 12 bux for all three bins, 5 bux for the towel bar, 10 bux for the decals (I paid $5!), and 3 bux for the drawer pulls.  A brand new looking changing table for under $50. You really can't beat that!  And while I don't include it in the price, the changing pad covers were almost 50% off on Amazon, so I bought a couple then, rather than pay full price.

And before anyone asks, yes, I have everything organized, or a list of how I plan to organize.  The drawers will be prefolds, sleepers and onesies.  The bins are hats and mitts, soakers and covers, and socks, baby legs and soft shoes.  If I can find one I like, I might add a small mobile, and my warmer and wipes will be near by.  Perhaps on the wardrobe I'm working on, but that's a whole other post.  (You know you are looking forward to it!)

Now if I could just figure out what to make with the chicken I have out for dinner tonight, my day will be a complete success.

My morning project...

Having a small house, we've had to come up with a place to put the baby after she's born.  Now, I have no qualms with co-sleeping.  I personally just don't sleep well enough when there's a baby in bed with me.  So my plan this time was to get one of Arm's Reach co-sleepers.  Well, I decided I didn't really like them.  At least the mini ones that were in my price range.  I did, however, discover this cute little nursery center.  We bought it way back in August, and I have to say, it took a bit of self control not to open and play with it until now.

The co-sleeper section

This was my morning project.  It wasn't too bad, there were a few complicated parts, mainly squeezing metal rods into places that were tight. I may or may not have squee'd and coo'd at how adorable it really is though.  Not only is it a pack and play, which will be nice when and if we ever travel again, but it also has a bassinet attachment.  And it has a co-sleeper section.  While we haven't attached it to the bed yet, I'm hoping this makes life so much easier for sleeping and for nursing.  There is also a changing table, side compartments and a little attached side bag for diapers and the like.  And we won't get into the little attached "Electronic music center with volume control, nightlight, and vibration".

Actually, we will.  I haven't tried it yet.  But it apparently features options for nature sounds, music, and an mp3 input so you can play your choice of music for the sleeping baby.  These features, on top of the vibration feature, and night light...well, it' a little over the top, at least for me.  I'm not sure if I'll even use them, though it can't hurt to give it a try.  My only disappointment was the lack of a mobile, which some of the other models had.

Next to my messy bed.

Needless to say, I'm still thrilled with my choice, and I am looking forward to putting the baby down in this.  I'm going to leave the whole "attaching the play yard to the bed" thing to John, as that involved removing the top mattress and probably a lot of crawling around on the ground and getting into awkward positions.  A little hard to do at this stage of pregnancy.  

Knitting and Crocheting and waiting (somewhat) patiently...

What's this?  A post?!  Cut me some slack! I'm pregnant.  They say that everything happens sooner with each subsequent pregnancy.  They don't have to convince me.

Actually I just feel so busy in my own little way now- I'm knitting and crocheting up a storm, painting, and shopping and preparing...It seems almost sad that I'm so silent at such a fun time.

Yeah, that's my odd shaped bump underneath that blanket...

Since August, I literally did about 14 different knitting projects.  A few were for my sister, who had a baby in September.  And the rest for our number three.  I keep my ravelry updated, so you're always welcome to check out that little list.

My current project has slowed me considerably.  Wanting a break from all the knitting, I went back to crochet for a bit, and decided I'd try to tackle something bigger.  I fell in love with the Tulip Baby Blanket when  saw it a few months back, but I'm usually not one to buy patterns.  Mainly because I get wary that I won't be able to do the pattern due to my lack of skill.  Well, I just kept coming back to this pattern, and finally caved, hoping it was something I could do.  And it turns out that while it's a time consuming process, the pattern is super simple.

I love the colors- they match fairly well with the Fisher Price Mocha Butterfly theme, which while not our "official" nursery theme (there's no nursery...), is basically the color scheme I'm going with anyways.  And there's something exciting about working so hard on something you're going to wrap your baby up in.  I can't wait to take some adorable pictures.

77 rows down, still far too many to go!

Because it's such a big project, I am working on other things.  I take breaks from crocheting...by knitting.  Right now I'm working on the jingle bell hat, just because it's a little silly, and a little cute.  I plan on adding a matching bib, and probably a pair of longies.  And this just seems to be the top of my list of things to knit/crochet before Christmas.  I won't even begin to list the other projects I'm working/want to work on.  I have a feeling I'm going to run out of time.

33 weeks, 4 days.

Wordless Wednesday

August Day Book

Joining in on The Simple Woman's Daybook today.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... are some really dark clouds, even though it's quite sunny out.

I am thinking...about everything I need to do between now and December for this baby, and the kids.

I am thankful...that my husband keeps me grounded.  I'd probably be a little bit insane if he didn't.

In the kitchen...are cans of white beans for white bean chicken chili.  Dinner should be delicious tonight!

I am wearing...my pajamas.  Go ahead, judge me!

I am creating...lots of knit items for the baby.

I am going...to finish a skirtie today, and start a soaker after that.

I am wondering...how I can go about improving my home without spending lots of money.

I am reading...The Birth Book by William and Martha Sears, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

I am hoping...the weather doesn't get too hot.

I am looking forward to...everything Fall.

I am learning...how to do a Picot Edge bind off.

Around the house...needs a vacuum.

I am pondering...learning to quilt.  Or at least improving my sewing skills.

A favorite quote for today... “Your body is not a lemon!” by Ina May Gaskin

One of my favorite things... feeling the baby move and kick around.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Laundry.

A peek into my day...

Here I am!

Ok, I know, I know.  I keep disappearing.  Hard not to really, life was just far too busy with everyone home for summer, and being sick and hot and well...just not in the best of moods for a good chunk of the summer.  But, despite all that, we did have a good summer.  From May until now, we went to Connecticut to see Florence and the Machine (great concert, but not fun traveling just as my morning sickness hit hard.), New York City, The Great Sacandaga Lake (camp), lots of trips to Albany (Midwife!), and trips to Rochester (Museum of Play and a new car), and spent lots of time in our cheap little intex pool (which sadly, has bit the dust after 2 years.)  There were races, and lots of fun in the sun.

NYC

But this week, John went back to teaching, and Liam's preschool classes began.  Next week, Lilia starts Kindergarten (Can you believe it?!) and I will have nice peaceful mornings to myself, if I can manage to climb out of bed before 11:30.  Yes, I know, that sounds so awful.  I don't know what's up, but this pregnancy has me exhausted in the morning.  Hopefully, back to school for everyone else though means some sort of sense of normalcy returning to my life.  Or at least some sort of routine where kids aren't underfoot!

So, with less to distract me, I'm hoping to update more often again.  I mean, it's not like I don't have stuff to talk about...It's September, my favorite season on the way, a new baby, Christmas, Birthdays and hockey season.  Well, hopefully hockey season.  If there's a lockout, you might get a few crying posts.  And with Pinterest filling my head with ideas on how to organize and prepare for the baby, well...we're in for some good times.

Speaking of baby, things are going really well.  I had my 20 week scan a few weeks ago.  As of today, I'm 22 weeks, 2 days.  My placenta is actually in front this time around, so it took a lot longer to be able to feel the baby kick than the previous two.  But I'm feeling almost every little movement now it seems, and with that comes a feeling of well being.

Camp

We did find out the gender, and while I posted it in comments on Facebook, I don't think I ever made an official announcement.  So here it is now...the next A little bit me baby is a sweet baby girl.  I was super excited by this news- knitting stuff for a girl is just more fun, as is shopping for girls, LOL.  With Lilia, we still stuck to a lot of gender neutrals for our basic stuff and nursery decor, so this time I'm leaning more towards pinking stuff up.  Actually, I'm leaning to purpling things up, but same difference.  Lilia is super excited to have a baby sister on the way.  Probably doesn't help that she sees all the little girly stuff we've bought (or plan to buy), and can't wait to play with them herself.

So there we have it.  Life is good, even if baby girl here is quite low and making a pillow and bed out of my bladder and pelvic floor.  I'm looking forward to the next 18 or so weeks.  Saying 18 weeks really makes it feel like that's far away, doesn't it?

Happy Half-Birthday!

Lilia was born 2 days after Christmas, so sometimes it seems like her birthday gets lost in the chaos of the holidays.  Particularly this year, when she was going to the parties of her class mates, and talking about having her own party.  We had decided many years ago that we'd do a half-birthday party type thing, in the warm weather.

This was the first year we actually went through with it.  It was a fun time, albeit stressful, trying to get stuff done in 90º weather.  But I'd say Lilia had a good time, as did her guests.

I tried to keep it simple.  Really, I just wanted the kids to have fun.  I tried to not focus on decorations "too" much.  In one corner of the yard, I set up a cheap bubble machine that had some pretty positive reviews.  For 12.99, it worked really well.

 I also wanted the kids to keep cool.  So I set up both a sprinkler, and a kiddy pool, although that was supposed to be for a little "pick a duck" game with prizes.  By the time guests arrived, Liam had already crawled in, threw out the ducks and was swimming happily.  At least he was cool!

 I attempted to do a little streamer fun on my clothes line, which looked really nice, until the wind picked up.  Ah well...

 The kids wanted to feed the chickens.  Not gonna say no to that.

 Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty.  Fairly sure Lilia could see, because she got it right on the money.

 Lilia picked a Hello Kitty cake.  I think this is her favorite part of a birthday party, more than opening presents.  You gotta love that big blob of green frosting....

Piñata time.  They wanted to beat it with the bat, despite it being a pull string (Is that all they make nowadays?)  Each kid got a turn, and it fell off the rope before it broke open.  Eventually we had them all grab the strings and rip it open.  It was quite carnivorous.

 The candy aftermath.  The poor Candy never stood a chance.

In the end, we caved, and let the kids in the pool.  It was just too hot, and they were all really good.  And it was a nice to end the party, for them at least.  I think I was ready to pass out from the heat and the cake.  I think once everyone left, I floated in the pool for an hour, and then slept on the couch for an hour.  But I had a happy half-birthday girl, and little brother, and happy guests.  So it was a great success.

June Daybook

Life is busy, so I thought I'd just slow down today with The Simple Woman's Daybook.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... the sun is slowly setting, and the wind is finally calming.

I am thinking... about everything that needs to be done tomorrow, about my growing belly and my blood sugars.

I am thankful... for my husband, who keeps me grounded.

In the kitchen... is a clean area, with dishes done, counters washed, and no junk piling up.

I am wearing... my hair in a pony tail, with my bangs hanging down.  I always seem to revert back to wearing my hair up...

I am creating... a new life...sort of scary every time I think about it.

I am going... to attempt to assemble a bike tonight, once the kids are in bed.

I am wondering... if it's an easy job or if I'll be cursing by the end of the night.

I am reading... Ina May's Guide to Childbirth again.  Refresher.

I am hoping... that this pregnancy is healthy.

I am looking forward to... baby kicks.  I'm so busy, I feel a little detached from this pregnancy.  Flutters and kicks will help me bond with the life inside me.

I am learning... to reduce my sugars as much as possible.  It's not as easy as it sounds. :(

Around the house... almost every room except bedrooms are clean clean clean! I haven't seen my house this clean in a long time.

I am pondering... going out and taking the laundry off the clothes line.  I should probably do this... *edited to add that someone already did this for me. I'm super lucky.*

A favorite quote for today... "Mommy, why aren't you resting?"  Liam, asking me that after I took a 10 minute nap.

One of my favorite things... watching the kids play with their dad.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Lilia's half-birthday party.  Survive that, and the rest of the week should be fine.

A peek into my day...

Who needs a new rug?

When we moved into the house almost 2 years ago, I was a little wary of the fact that our living room carpet was cream colored.  Two kids, a cat and a light colored carpet...not a good combination.  After all this time of scrubbing out stains by hand, and it really never getting it clean, I bought a SteamVac finally.  I thought this particular one had the best reviews, and was totally affordable.  It was actually only $134 when I ordered it.

So I finally used it today, and I cannot believe how well it worked.  I did a little pre-treatment with some generic carpet cleaner.  I used hot water straight from my tea kettle, mixed with the hottest tap water I could get and a Deep Cleaning solution.  And then I went to work...

Halfway done, and the difference is AMAZING.

I'd have to say this is the best "investment" I've made yet.  It was so worth it and I'm so happy we decided to buy this rather than renting one, or buying new rugs.  I keep walking into my living room and just gaping at how clean it looks.  I want to roll on it and sniff it.  And bar the kids from ever entering it again.

And now I can comfortable think about placing a baby on the floor without shuddering.

Wordless Wednesday

13 weeks...

13 weeks, 3 days, and seriously, far too many days remaining.  I'm so tired, still...I guess I need to put an order in for some 2nd trimester energy.

13 weeks...the baby is the size of Shrimp...

Lilia asks me daily how the baby is growing.  How big is the baby now? The baby is in your tummy, right? How big will she be when she is born in December?  Questions, questions, questions! It's very sweet, and it's fun to educate her the best I can.  Oh, and I say She, because Lilia says She, because she wants a baby sister.

We picked a midwife, after a week of interviewing various ones.  All were wonderful, but I'm very positive I made the right choice.  I love having one less thing to worry about- and finding a suitable midwife was amongst my top worries.

Now to survive the next 27 weeks...

Is it HOT enough for you?

This is my window thermometer.  The Red is Outdoors, the Blue is Indoors.  I live in Central NY.  This should be illegal.

So today, I am grateful for Central Air, and cheap pools.  Because seriously, today would be unbearable without those things. Oh, and Sun screen.

Good Bye Pre-K

Lilia's last day of Pre-K was Friday, and they had a little graduation ceremony for the kids in the class tonight.  It was quite the affair, with the kids singing songs, getting their diplomas, and then having refreshments.  One parent even put together a slideshow DVD of the years big events, and gave each family a copy.

My little attention ham is growing up!

I think Lilia had a really fun time, but she's going to miss school a lot.  She loves going to school, so much so that on days school was canceled, she'd cry.  But the good news is the school year is only a few months away, and she'll be at the same school, with many of the same kids, with a wonderful teacher whom she adores already.  It's nice too, because I don't dread that first day of kindergarten at all- I know how much she enjoys it, and I know it's a really good school.  John went there, with many of the same teachers and principal.

Now we just have to survive the summer.