Hormones?

I feel like there is just so much to get done before Lil' Baby Bump arrives, it's making me frantic when I think of it...which is often. I thought perhaps I was making a mountain out of a molehill, so I sat down and started a 'brain dump' list of all of the things I was worrying about finishing. At the end of my scribbling, I had 51 things and I didn't feel like I had covered it all. However, I was determined to make some progress, so I categorized the items, and left room for more in each category. My ever-patient Trev, seeing my distress, is helping me chip away at the list, and I'm hoping that will help the anxiety levels. That, and prayer...a LOT of prayer.

This past week was a very long week indeed, as Connor continued to be sick, crabby and clingy right through to today, and Adara was over-excited from all of the birthday hullabaloo and took several days to get back to her sweet self. The snow did NOT help, and the snow coming down right now and predicted for tonight, tomorrow and Tuesday is not helping either. Grrrr. Enough whining, though, let's focus on the positive.

I've finished the 16 pages that completed my last photo album, had them printed at Costco, and then put them into the album. I am so pleased with the quality of the 12"x12" photo pages! The embellishments really do look three-dimensional. And the best part was it only took a grand total of two hours to do the 16 pages for Adara's album, since there were only two pages I replaced with new ones; for the rest I just edited the text and swapped out a few of the photos! So her pages have now been sent in, and I'll pick them up in a few days and can start tackling the new albums. I was leery of digital scrapbooking, I must admit, but I can't see going back now. The kids will all have their own photo albums for when they grow up and start families of their own, with so little extra effort.

What else has happened on the good side? I've been monitoring Freecycle carefully the last little while, and this past week I got a fishbowl and free betta stuff, as well as a box of size 6x/7/8 clothing to put away for Adara's future use (she'll be wearing size 6 very soon). We have just tonight installed a resident betta into the fishbowl, and he is Adara's first official pet. She has named him "Smart Fish", I call him "Red Angus", and to Connor he is "Fishy". We'll see how he does as part of the household.

Oh, and I've finally been transferred to a maternity clinic. After 3 months of promises that it would happen any day. The good news is that the clinic isn't far away, which will make the many trips there for checkups easier. The bad news is that they're affiliated with the hospital in the NE part of Calgary, so visiting the hospital will be a much further drive (but at least I only have to go there once). And if it is in fact a scheduled C-section, then there won't be the frantic rush to the hospital, either.

So there has been good news, really there has. And once my head cold dies down and the snow finally goes away, I'll be much more willing to dwell on it. *smile*

Five already?

My little girl will be five on Wednesday...it's mind-boggling, really. I'm loving watching her develop into the wonderful little person she's becoming, though. Such a leader - if you show the slightest hesitation about what you're doing next, she's in there trying to organize the whole family's day. She's not bossy, honestly; but she was born with a desire to lead, and the Lord is going to do amazing things with her life. We're working at finding a middle ground, not killing her natural leader instincts, but making sure she remembers that she must still defer to proper authority in the final decision, and also that she must respect the feelings of others and only lead where they are willing to let her take charge, rather than ramming in and bossing everyone about. It's definitely challenging, but I wouldn't miss it for the world.

While she's getting ready for her playdate/birthday celebration tomorrow (very low key, no presents, but still making her feel a little special) and then her birthday the next day, Connor is struggling with the cold his big sister is already finished with. The poor little guy has just been miserable the last 3 days, with fever, cough, stuffy runny nose, the whole bit. He's been almost permanently attached to me, which I don't mind when they're really ill. It gives me an excuse to sit still for a bit. *grin*

Lil' Baby Bump is growing happily, although the little blighter was so darn active during the ultrasound that they couldn't tell us the gender. Major disappointment for me, as I absolutely hate surprises. Such is life, though, and since it looked like he/she was normal and healthy in every regard, I'll just wait very impatiently for August. I console myself with the thought that we have sleepers in both colours already anyway. *smile*

Let's see, what else? Adara's having a ball with her dance classes, but we'll be finding an alternate activity next year. Reason? I've hit my limit. First of all, dance is about 3 times as much as her other activities. Strike 1. Secondly, I knew there was a recital at the end of Adara's dance season. I found out 2 months ago that the preschool costume for the recital looked like a spangly prom dress with crinolines. Strike number 2. The topper was the email I received today that outlines her hair and makeup requirements for three separate occasions: the picture night, the dress rehearsal, and the actual recital. That's it - strike 3, time for a new activity. We'll be leaning towards sports this fall, as she's so active, and if I can find her a drama program she'll be in that too. Nothing fancy, though, just fun and letting kids stay kids.

I need to go and finish setting up for the playdate tomorrow morning, so I can get some sleep. The little guy has been up every two hours with his cold, and I'm needing every bit of extra sleep I can get!

Gardening Decisions

Trev has convinced me to skip vegetables or any 'useful' plants, and to stick with low-maintenance perennials in the backyard. So in the sunny bed, I'm alternating Stella d'Oro dwarf daylilies with some pretty blue Salvia, and on the mostly shady bed, I'm alternating dwarf bleeding hearts with a random selection of hosta plants. I ordered from a lovely catalogue company that actually sends plants and not just roots; that will keep me out of the garden nurseries and all the temptation they bring. Trev can pop into Home Depot or some such and pick up some manure to mix into the dirt, and some bark chips for mulch. Since both beds are in the backyard, if the plants look somewhat sparse the first year, I don't mind - they'll grow into their space in time.

One more thing checked off the list.

Charging Ahead

My goodness, I've had almost a whole week of not feeling nauseous, and it's wonderful. I'm back to liking being pregnant again, a much happier state for me. My most exciting news is that I've booked the ultrasound, and managed to get in with a place that does the 3D imaging. I'm going in April 16th, and even though the clinic is downtown and the appointment is perilously close to Connor's nap time, I figure it's worth it for the extra clarity in the ultrasound, and the CD of cool 3D pics I can get for $20. Plus, I figure this way there's a better chance of finding out whether 'Lil' Baby Bump' (as we've taken to calling the baby) is a boy or a girl, not only for us but for Adara who so desperately wants a little sister.

Other signs I'm feeling better:

• I used up a giant bag of 50% off organic bananas, and made a double batch of jumbo chocolate chip banana muffins as well as the "world's best banana nut cake" (that's the title, honest; it was good, but not that good)
• We hosted the first coffee night for homeschooling mamas of preschoolers in the NW
• I've hosted several playgroups with some of the above group, and even fit in some extra playdates with some moms I especially like
• We took the kids to Homeschool Day at the Telus Science Center; Adara got to attend the same preschool/kindergarten presentations that any class going there gets to see, plus we got to explore the rest of the place
• I have cooked dinner regularly every night this week, instead of just throwing things together at the last minute (It's kind of sad, but this is a big thing for me!)
• I am feverishly internally debating whether to plant useful vegetables or pretty flowers in the backyard

That last one's a really big indication I'm much more myself than I have been the last few months...I love planning gardens.

The other neat thing that happened this week is that we found a kit at Costco that lets you assemble your own little plastic skeleton (maybe 18" tall?) with 24 pieces and moving joints. It has a little plastic dome to protect "Mr Bones" when he's not being prodded at, and an interesting book explaining the basics of how the human body works. Adara and I have read two books about the human body from the library, and she's been very interested in seeing a skeleton, but none of the museums here have a human set of bones. So now she has her own mini set, and she's just ecstatic. Only ten dollars, too! I admit, we did get some funny looks as we lined up at the cashier with her clutching the box and singing "I've got my own skeleton, my very own skeleton" but we're getting used to being oddities. *grin*

Oh my, it feels good to be me again...

Fluttering Thoughts of the Day

I'm at 17 weeks today. Seems like a long time since I started wearing maternity clothes, but I comfort myself with the thought that in another 6 weeks or so I can start wearing the more summery stuff, which will be all new to me. Ah, the frivolous things that consume our thoughts! *grin*

We got hit with the stomach flu last week; Trev, the lucky fellow, got it first, recovered, then got it again from me. He had to work Saturday to make up for the days he spent at home feeling miserable. Now he and I are both fighting off head colds. Hello, spring! The weather's all over the place here, one day it's +11 and the next there's a winter storm warning out. Part of the reason there's so many colds and flus wandering about, I think.

We're chipping away at the little things, despite it all. We went through our books, and gave away three book boxes full to the Calgary Symphony Orchestra's annual book sale. I adore books, and giving them away feels a little akin to donating my children, but I tried hard to be ruthless this time. We still have over two 6' bookshelves full, so we're not book-poor by any means. There's still a few things to organize in the basement, and a few odds and ends still to sell or give away in the garage, but we're definitely getting there.

I'm now only two pages away from finishing the sixteen pages that will finish my last half-done photo album. This will bring me up to the end of 2006; progress, but still a long way to go. I find it's going faster, though, now that I'm gaining expertise at using the scrapbooking program.

Otherwise, I'm trying hard to get reengaged with normal life again. I'm finding it difficult after living in survival mode for several months, to get back into menu planning and budgeting and all of that. I find it hard to care about those things after letting them slide, but I know it's important that I do. I'm also finding it hard to get into things with the kids, make the days interesting for them. They've been so good about amusing themselves that it feels much easier to let them keep doing it...but I'm missing out on the chance to connect with them, to encourage them and teach them and do all of the good things that I'm a stay at home mom for! So I'm trying to make the choice, whenever I see it, to get involved.

Life progresses, slowly but steadily, and I hope to make good use of the days.

Getting Back to Good

I've really started feeling more like myself the last few days, which has done wonders for my attitude. I vacuumed both upstairs and down on Monday, which I'd been putting off for weeks, and did many other sundry little things that had been niggling at me. There's also all kinds of little updates I haven't gotten around to, so......

I'm loving the digital scrapbooking, although I do miss the hands on, paper matching part of doing it the old way. I've finished Connor's baby album already, and am slowly catching up on our and Adara's albums. My last completed page in those was from June 2006, so I do have a ways to go! Still, I'm determined to finish catching up before the baby comes (Lord willing) so that when the exhausted post-baby haze clears away, I only have months of photos to organize, not years worth.

I'm starting to slowly establish relationships with a few of the homeschooling moms I've met. We've got a regular playdate set up now on Tuesday mornings, and we're working at setting up a monthly coffee night for homeschooling moms of preschoolers in the NW of Calgary. I'm excited to think that Adara will have some friends who aren't so busy with preschool and two to four extracurricular activities that they'll actually have time to play together! I've met way too many kids through Adara's ballet and gymnastics classes that are already in that boat...at three. Skiing, skating, dancing, swimming, art, music - you name it, they're in it. I find it a little overwhelming, to be honest, and I do occasionally feel like I must be depriving Adara by keeping her to two activities maximum a season. But then I try to picture life down the road with three kids (or more), and them ALL in a bunch of activities, and I chuckle and relax again. If we wanted to live like that, we wouldn't be homeschooling in the first place.

We're still not sure if we're going to stick with the church we've been attending. It's a nice church, and there are some lovely people there, but everyone seems so...busy. It's hard to connect beyond a friendly hello. We'll give it some more time and see.

We're still not sure where the recent shifts in Suncor will take us. Trev still figures it's a 50/50 chance of heading up to Fort Mac within the year; he hopes to have more of an idea by the end of April. Frankly, I'm not too worried about it. Fort Mac was fine, we'll do all right if we move back. I'd just like to know, so I can think about which summer and fall activities to put the kids into. I guess in a way, I've gotten used to bouts of living in limbo; I don't like it, but it doesn't stress me out the way it used to.

I'd better go get some sleep; the little guy is coming down with a cold, and Adara wasn't quite herself today either. Even if the night goes well, there will likely be plenty of sick-type whininess tomorrow, and I'll need all the patience I can get.

A Sign of Spring

We got an email today with the info about what soccer team Adara (and Trev, since he'll be the assistant coach) will be on this season. Trev has a coaching clinic coming up in less than a month, and the season starts about 2 weeks after that. Makes me feel like spring is here already!

The only disappointment for Adara was that she's on the 'Lime' team - she was hoping for orange, as it's Trev's favourite colour. At first she was hoping for her favourite colour, pink, but I explained that as long as the teams had both girls and boys on them, pink was not going to be an option. *grin*